Hochschwab Mountains

Isolated drift snow packs still prone to triggering in the Niedere Tauern and in the Eisenerz Alps

Isolated drift snow packs still prone to triggering in the Niedere Tauern and in the Eisenerz Alps

The avalanche danger is generally low. Especially in the Niedere Tauern and in the Eisenerz Alps, isolated snowdrift accumulations have formed, which can be triggered as small slab avalanches by a large additional load. This is especially the case behind exposed ridges and ridgelines as well as in gullies and bowls. The avalanche prone locations are generally easy to recognise. In most cases, the risk of entrainment and injury outweighs the risk of burial.

The existing snow cover, snowpack is characterised by the strong wind influence of the last few days. In places, fresh windslab snow was deposited on a crusted old snowpack under the influence of strong winds. In many places, a built-up transformed surface or older wind slab is covered. The rise in temperature has allowed the wind slab to settle somewhat. The connection to each other has therefore improved. The nature and thickness of the snow cover, snowpack varies greatly in a small area. There is often insufficient old snowpack. In general, there is little snow. On the sunny slopes, the snow cover is progressing.

On Friday, clouds will play a much bigger role in the mountains of Styria. The clouds will thicken from both the south and the north during the daytime changes, with longer sunny spells only possible in the morning, and then mainly in the peripheral mountains. Towards the evening, it may snow in places in the northern foothills. It will remain very windy and the temperature will drop again at all altitudes. At 2000 metres it will be between -9 and -5 degrees in the afternoon.

It remains cold and windy. From Friday to Saturday, there will only be a few centimetres of new fallen snow in the Niedere Tauern and the Eisenerz Alps. Only a few snowflakes will fall between Turrach and the Wechsel region. Watch out for small-scale areas prone to triggering snow at the weekend.