Lower Tauern South

Considerable snowdrift problem

Considerable snowdrift problem

Avalanche danger above the treeline is CONSIDERABLE, below that altitude danger is MODERATE. Slabs can be triggered even by minimum additional loading. Fresh snow and storm winds are generating (both near to and distant from ridges, at forest rims and behind protruberances) fresh snowdrift accumulations. Also gullies and bowls are being filled with fresh drifts. The triggered avalanches are small-to-medium, but at high altitudes they can fracture down to deeper layers and become dangerously large.

Atop a well settled snowpack, 20-40 cm of fresh snow is anticipated amid strong wind impact. Potential fracture points for a slab avalanches: the surface from Sunday (partly powdery, partly melt-freeze encrusted) or a fracture could occur inside the fresh snow itself (graupel). More deeply embedded weak layers will probably trigger only by large additional loading.

On Monday, poor visibility. The NW winds will be strong to stormy, reaching 100 km/hr at high altitude. Frequent snowfall, also graupel showers are possible. Amount: 20-40 cm. In the afternoon, longer interims in the snowfall. At 2000 m: -10 degrees; at 3000 m: -18 degrees. On Tuesday, the higher peaks will be shrouded in fog, lower down visibility will be better. The NW winds will still be brisk to strong. Temperatures will rise. At 2000 m: -7 to -3 degrees; at 3000 m: -10 to -5 degrees.

In the next few day, avalanche danger will incrementally diminish.