Bregenzerwald Mountains

Rising avalanche danger due to fresh snow and stormy winds. Unfavourable snowpack layering on shady slopes.

Rising avalanche danger due to fresh snow and stormy winds. Unfavourable snowpack layering on shady slopes.

Considerable avalanche danger. As a rsult of fresh snow and wind, fresh small snowdrift accumulations require attentiveness with increasing altitude particularly in steep ridgeline terrain, in wind-loaded gullies and bowls, and behind abrupt discontinuities in tehe terrain. Spread and size of the danger zones increase with ascending altitude. They can be easily triggered by one single winter sports enthusiast as a slab avalanche. In addition, above 2200 m on steep shady slopes there are unfavourable layers of the snowpack evident. Single winter sports enthusiasts can in places trigger small-to-medium slab avalanches. In zones where there has been rain impact at low and intermediate altitude in all aspects, wet-snow slides and small-to-medium sized avalanches are possible, along with glide-snow avalanches on steep grassy slopes.

The generally shallow snowpack is thoroughly wet up to intermediate altitudes, thus forfeiting its firmness. The fresh snow and fresh drifts lie deposited atop an old snowpack surface which is often encrusted, bonding is moderate to weak, in dadition on steep shady slopes above 2200 m the layering is frequently weak. Layers of faceted crystals and depth hoar are prone to triggering. These danger zones are not visible to the naked eye. Sunny slopes are becoming bare of snow up to intermediate altitudes.

Thursday night: heavy cloud cover, brisk westerly winds until midnight, often intensive rainfall. As a result of milder air masses, the snowfall level will ascend to 1800-2000m. Friday: a warm front will bring instable, stormy and very mild mountain weather. Visibility will be severely limited by clouds, fog and intense precipitation, most of which is expected in the Bregenzerwald and Arlberg regions. Snowfall level will lie at 2000 m. Temperature at 2000 m: +2 degrees. Stormy westerly winds at high altitude.

On Saturday above 1400-1700 m, more snowfall. As a result of the fresh snow and fresh drifts, avalanche danger will remain considerable at high altitudes. The persistent weak layer will abide on high altitude shady slopes.