Lechquellen Mountains

Snowdrifts prone to triggering

Snowdrifts prone to triggering

Fresh and older trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations are threatening. The accumulations can be easily triggered even by one sole skier. Danger zones occur in wind-loaded steep terrain, in gullies and bowls, and behind protruberances in the landscape. Size and frequency of danger zones tend to increase with ascending altitude. In addition, on steep shady slopes at high altitudes and in transitions from shallow to deep snow, isolated slab avalanches can be triggered by large additional loading. In zones where there has been rain impact, slides and small wet-snow avalanches are possible. Glide-snow avalanches, mostly small, continue to be possible. Caution urged below glide cracks.

Another 5-10 cm of fresh snow is anticipated, locally more. This and the fresh snowfall from Thursday will be transported at high altitudes. Further fresh snowdrift accumulations will be generated, which then blanket older accumulations of drifts. Fresh snow and snowdrift accumulations are not well bonded with the old snowpack and its melt-freeze crusts, often with embedded layers of graupel. Deeper layers in the old snowpack are generally compact and unlikely to trigger, mostly likely in places where the snow is shallow on very steep shady slopes.

Nighttime skies will be heavily clouded, accompanied by light snowfall. In the latter part of the night, clouds will disperse. On Saturday, sunshine will reign. At 2000m: -11 degrees. Moderate to strong-velocitdy NW/NE winds at high altitudes.

Fresh snowdrift accumulations remain prone to trigger at high altitudes