Allgäu Alps West

Naturally triggered avalanches still expected

Dangerous avalanche situation persists

Large amounts of fresh snow and drifts blanket a weak old snowpack. Avalanches can easily be triggered by one single winter sports enthusiast in all aspects, and then grow to large size. Danger zones are numerous, occur also near the timberline. For activities outside secured zones, conditions are extremely dangerous. Remote triggerings and naturally triggered avalanches continue to be anticipated. Particularly in starting zones which have not yet discharged, they can in isolated cases be very large-sized and plummet down to low altitude zones. Exposed transportation routes can be placed at risk. Rain impact at low and intermediate altitudes will lead to the snowpack softening up and thus, to increased frequency of naturally triggered avalanches.

By Saturday evening, an additional 20-30cm of fresh snow is expected, locally more. The large amounts of fresh snow from the last few days have been repeatedly transported in varying directions, generating far-reaching snowdrift accumulations. These are now often blanketed over and difficult to recognize. Bonding to the usually weak snowpack is weak. Several large and very large sized avalanche releases due to artificial triggerings, remote triggerings and provoked by winter sports enthusiasts confirm just how trigger-sensitive the snowpack is.

A warm front is bringing poor visibility with moderate to heavy precipitation, snowfall level ascending to about 1500m. Temperature at 2000m: rising from -5 to -2 degrees, at 3000m at -11 degrees. Strong to storm strength northwesterly winds at high altitudes.

The danger of naturally triggered avalanches is slowly diminishing. Due to rising temperatures and first-time solar radiation, the situation remains treacherous for winter sports enthusiasts. Wet-snow and glide-snow avalanches can be increasingly expected, especially at low and intermediate altitudes.