Hochschwab Mountains

Increasing avalanche danger as day progresses due to wet snowpack

Increasing avalanche danger as day progresses due to wet snowpack

Avalanche danger will increase regionally during the course of the day from low to moderate. Main problem: glide-snow avalanches, possibly triggering naturally at any time of day or night in very steep terrain and plummeting down to zones where the slopes are bare of snow. In addition, wet-snow avalanches can trigger during the daytime, esp. in high-altitude terrain where there is sufficient snow on the ground. In steep terrain, small-to-medium avalanches can slide naturally or be triggered.

Due to nocturnal outgoing radiation, a thin melt-freeze crust forms, then quickly softens in daytime due to solar radiation and mild temperatures. The snowpack is isotherm and moist up to summit levels, inner loss of firmness increases during the course of the day. The wet snowpack can also glide downhill over smooth ground at any time. A cohesive snowpack exists only at high altitudes. The slopes are becoming bare of snow.

On Saturday, sunny and cloudless skies, only thin cirrus clouds will traverse from the northwest. Winds will intensify slightly from W/NW. It will be quite warm. AT 2000 m: +10 degrees. Also on Sunday, sunny and very warm, temperatures reaching the apex in this period. At 2000 m: +10 degrees, strong NW winds.

On Monday a notable change in weather, cooler temperatures and precipitation. The next Avalanche Bulletin will be published on Sunday.