Lower Tauern Central

Storm wind + fresh snowdrifts

Storm wind + fresh snowdrifts

The snowdrift danger above 2100 m is CONSIDERABLE, below that altitude down to the forest rims danger is MODERATE. Storm winds vary hugely over smallest spaces. Danger zones of fresh snowdrift accumulations are frequent between forest rims and terrain distant from ridgelines. Gullies, bowls and protruberances are the potential hot spots. Further up the terrain is windblown. Fresh snowdrifts can be increasingly easily triggered by one person with ascending altitude in steep terrain. Avalanches can grow to medium size.

The latest fresh snow from Friday (20-30 cm) is being transformed to drifts by storm winds, increasingly prone to triggering with ascending altitude. Exposed terrain is windblown, wind-pressed or melt-freeze encrusted. The new snowdrift accumulations lie deposited atop encrusted surfaces or old powder which is a potential weak layer. More deeply embedded layers in the snowpack (around the upper crust of the old snowpack) are currently not avalanche-relevant.

Sunday will bring heavy storm winds. In exposed zones, gale-strength gusts (80-100 km/hr), on Saturday night intermittent snowfall (5-10 cm, heavily windblown). In the afternoon on Sunday, clouds will disperse, temperatures drop. At 2000 m: -8 degrees and dropping; at 3000 m: -10 degrees. On Monday, snowfall will set in during the course of the day. In the northern barrier cloud regions, intensively (15-35 cm in 24 hours), accompanied by storm-strength NW winds. At 2000 m: -8 degrees; at 3000 m: -13 degrees.

Increasing avalanche danger due to abundant fresh snow between Monday and Wednesday