Hochschwab Mountains

High avalanche danger at heightened altitudes. Pay close heed to gliding snow at lower altitudes.

High avalanche danger at heightened altitudes. Pay close heed to gliding snow at lower altitudes.

Above 1800 m avalanche danger is high. Due to large amounts of fresh snow and stormy winds in the last few days, wide-ranging trigger-sensitive snowdrifts have accumulated near to and distant from ridges in all aspects. Danger zones occur behind protruberances, in leeward gullies and bowls, and in wooded zones, often hard to recognize due to their vastness, as well as poor visibility. Avalanches can grow to large size. As temperatures rise, isolated avalanches can trigger naturally. Glide-snow avalanches can still release at any time of day in all aspects on very steep wooded or leafy slopes and on smooth rocky slopes. Avoid zones below glide cracks. At low and intermediate altitudes the rain impact is leading to wet-snow slides on steep hillsides and forest slopes, depending on the fluctuating snowfall level. Exposed transportation routes can be placed at risk.

The huge snowdrift accumulations of recent days have been deposited on melt-freeze encrusted old snowpack surfaces, bonding to the old snow is generally good. On shady slopes the drifts lie atop loose snow, however. Weak layers occur inside the fresh drifts. As temperatures temporarily rose, rain has moistened the snowpack up to 1700 m. The snowpack base is moist/wet up to intermediate altitudes, enhancing the gliding snow problem. More rain impact will cause the snowpack to forfeit its firmness.

Some fresh snow overnight in the northern barrier cloud regions (10 cm from Dachstein over northern Niedere Tauern to Mürzsteg Alps possible). Snowfall level: 1000-1200 m. Elsewhere the precipitation will be minor, tomorrow it will slacken off everywhere as much warmer air masses move in (zero-debrees level ascending to 2200-2500 m by evening, even higher in the south). Minor precipitation, later turning to rainfall. Tonight the gale-strength NW winds will shift to a westerly airstream and slowly recede but still reach windspeeds of 80 km/hr in the Northern Alps, even more in early morning.

On Christmas Day, more sunshine everywhere and it will be very mild. At 2000 m: +6 degrees. Winds will still be strong, later slackening off. As it warms up, weak layers will deteriorate. Avalanche danger will diminish. Gliding snow and wet snow will dominate.