Bregenzerwald Mountains

Beware snowdrifts on shady slopes

Beware snowdrifts on shady slopes

Fresh snow and fresh drifts lie often atop surface hoar on wind-protected, high-altitude shady slopes. Winter sports enthusiasts can trigger mostly small avalanches. Apart from the risks of being buried in snow masses, the danger of being swept along and forced to take a fall also requires due consideration.

Above about 1500m there was 10-15cm of fresh fallen snow registered on Thursday. Fresh snow and loosely-packed old snow will be transported by intensifying foehn winds until Saturday afternoon. Saturday morning, an additional 5-10cm of fresh snow will be delivered, on shady slopes often lying deposited atop surface hoar at all altitudes. The mid-level of the snowpack consists widespread of well settled, compact layers which on shady slopes at high altitudes are blanketed by a poorly structured old snowpack fundament. This weak layer is thus no longer to be triggered by persons.

On Saturday it will remain dry through most of the morning hours, accompanied by final foehn-generated bright intervals. Then skies will cloud over, before midday the first precipitation will begin, becoming heavier in the afternoon. Snowfall level will drop from 1500m down to 1000m by evening. Temperatures at 2000m: initially at 0 degrees, in the afternoon dropping successively down to -6 degrees by the end of the day; at 3000m: from -6 to -11 degrees. At high altitudes, initially brisk southwesterly winds, blowing at strong velocity in gusts, later shifting to northwesterly and blowing at moderate velocity.

By Sunday, 15-25cm of fresh snowfall is anticipated. Accompanied by moderate winds, small snowdrift accumulations can be generated near ridgelines at higher altitudes.