Hochschwab Mountains

Despite low danger, heed snowdrift accumulations!

Despite low danger, heed snowdrift accumulations!

Avalanche danger is low throughout Styria, but in a few danger zones small slab avalanches can be triggered by additional loading. These avalanche prone locations are found in snowdrift accumulations near ridgelines, behind abrupt discontinuities in the terrain and at the edges and entries of gullies and bowls. Particularly critical: shady zones where bonding of the snowdrift patches to the base is insufficient. Due to higher temperatures, small naturally triggered loose avalanches can be expected.

The fundament is largely stable, due to the changing warm-to-cold temperatures, only in shady high altitude terrain is there still a persistent weak layer, atop of which lie small snowdrift accumulations which are poorly bonded with the base beneath them. Due to the shallow snowpack, only small-sized slab releases are to be expected. Due to solar radiation and warmth, small naturally triggered loose-snow avalanches are possible on south-facing slopes.

An extremely mild SW air current is bringing weather to Styria. Tuesday in the mountains will be quite sunny, some cloudbanks will pass through at high altitudes, hampering the sunshine somewhat. Winds will be light to moderate from W/SW. At 2000 m: temperatures rising to 9 degrees. Wednesday will have cloudy skies on the northern flank of the Alps, the higher peaks will intermittently disappear in fog. Later in the afternoon some snowfall will set in, or rainfall, and temperatures recede. On the southern flank of the Alps clouds will be thinner, it will remain milder, and free of precipitation.

Due to higher temperatures, the snowdrifts will stabilise. Naturally triggering avalanches will increase somewhat.