Allgäu Alps West

Unfavorable backcountry conditions - Wet avalanches due to rainfall

Unfavorable backcountry conditions - Wet avalanches due to rainfall

Fresh snow and snowdrifts are prone to triggering at high altitudes. Size and frequency of avalanche prone locations increase with ascendint altitude. They occur in steep ridgeline terrain, behind discontinuities and in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. Small-to-medium sized avalanches can be triggered by one person. Backcountry sports require much experience in assessing avalanche dangers on-site and prudent route selection; mind the risks of falling. Wet-snow avalanches increasingly possible in steep rocky terrain, can reach medium size. Glide-snow avalanches are still a threat on steep grass-covered and rocky slopes in all aspects, avoid zones below glide cracks.

The snowpack is wet up to high altitudes due to heavy rainfall, increasingly forfeiting its firmness. The warm ground and wet lower layers are reinforcing the gliding movement of the entire snowpack. Strong to stormy winds are transporting the loose snow, generating trigger-prone snowdrift accumlations. The old snowpack below them is generally well consolidated and stable. In zones with rain impact, however, the snowpack is being weakened, in some places with graupel.

Nocturnal hours: Gray skies, precipitation tapering off, snowfall level at 1800-1500 m. Friday daytime: Heavily overcast skies. In the afternoon, a new bout of rainfall and snowfall with poor visibility, snowfall level at 1700 m, on Friday night dtopping to 1000 m. At 2000 m: 0+1 degree. Brisk to strong NW winds.

On Saturday, sunshine, windy in the mountains. Avalanche danger levels are not expected to change significantly.