Lower Tauern South

Daytime increase of avalanche danger

Daytime increase of avalanche danger

Avalanche danger is LOW and below 2400m rises to MODERATE during the course of the day. Backcountry tours should be terminated early in the day. Morning: Generally favourable situation. Danger zones for dry-snow avalanches are seldom. Isolated danger zones for dry-snow slab avalanches occur on very steep (>40°) slopes, where avalanches can in isolated cases be triggered by minimum additional loading in the weak old snow and grow to medium size. The plummeting masses can sweep unbonded snow along with them and the avalanches then grow to dangerously large size. Afternoon: Due to direct and diffuse radiation and high temperatures, the danger of wet-snow avalanches increases during the course of the day below 2400m. Esp. on sunny slopes, small naturally triggered loose-snow and glide-snow avalanches can trigger in steep grassy terrain in the plummet paths of wet snowpack releases, in some cases growing to large size.

Above 1800-2000 m there was a small amount of fresh snow registered on Sunday night, deposited on E/S/W facing slopes atop a thin melt-freeze crust. Beneath that the snowpack (depending on aspect) is moist-to-wet up to high altitudes. On shady slopes at high altitudes (>2000m) the snowpack is often dry, in its upper segment above 2200m there are weak trigger-sensitive layers (deeper down weak layers are unlikely to trigger currently). The snowpack on E/S/W facing slopes softens during the daytime, and weakens thereby. Diffuse radiation can moisten the snowpack also on shady slopes. Water seepage on the ground enhances gliding snow masses. Below the treeline there is little snow on the ground, above the treeline the snowpack is fragmented, snow depths highly varied.

On Tuesday, good visibility, sunshine, only a few harmless clouds. In the evening, cloud cover will move in from the west. Winds will be light to moderate fro W/NW. At 2000 m: 1-3 degrees in the afternoon; at 3000 m: -3 degrees.

Wednesday: following a night of heavily overcast skies, a sunny day with mild temperatures. Wet-snow and glide-snow avalanches are possible as early as the morning hours.