Allgäu Alps West

Freshly generated snowdrifts. Isolated danger zones in old snow.

Freshly generated snowdrifts. Isolated danger zones in old snow.

Above 2200m, fresh, small snowdrift accumulations are often prone to triggering, occur on shady slopes behind protruberances in the landscape, in gullies and bowls and on wind-loaded slopes. Spread and size tend to increase with ascending altitudfe and during the course of the day. Apart from the risks of avalanches, the dangers of being swept along and forced to take a fall need to be taken into consideration. Above 2400m, isolated avalanches can be triggered also in the old snow and grow to medium size. At low altitudes isolated small glide-snow avalanches are possible, particularly on very steep sunny slopes. On slopes with glide cracks, high caution is necessary.

On nights with clear skies, the snowpack surface metamorphosed expansively on shady slopes. in shady places at high altitudes, weak layer are evident in the snowpack, also near ground level where the snowpack is shallow. Due to moderate southerly winds, fresh, mostly small snowdrifts accumulated in ridgeline and pass areas. As a result of intensifying westerly winds in Saturday, more trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations will be generated. On steep sunny slopes the snowpack surface was moistened up to 2800m on Friday, overnight it will form a thin melt-freeze crust. Depending on wind impact, the snow is distributed very irregularly, ridges often windblown, gullies and bowls often filled to the brim with snow.

A change in weather. Right from the start, heavily overcast, hardly any sunshine, clouds will lie above summit level in the morning, thus, diffuse light conditions. In the afternoon, all summits will become shrouded in clouds, a few snowflakes will fall. Temperatures will drop. At 2000m: -4 degrees. Winds shifting to W/NW and intensifying.

Due to fresh snowfall and strong northerly winds, avalanche danger levels will increase on Sunday.