Lower Tauern South

Evaluate steep, wind-exposed zones with caution, bonded snow is easily triggered

Evaluate steep, wind-exposed zones with caution, bonded snow is easily triggered

Avalanche danger above 1600 m is CONSIDERABLE, below that altitude danger is low. Fresh drifts can be triggered even by 1 person in steep terrain, and reach medium size. Danger zones hard to spot, being blanketed by fresh snow. Poor visibility makes it harder still. Danger zones occur in all aspects, increase with ascending altitude. Loose-snow avalanches can trigger naturally in steep rocky terrain (up to medium size). Danger of naturally triggered glide-snow avalanches persists below 2300 m. Where snow is deep enough, they can reach medium size. Avoid zones below glide cracks.

By Monday morning 20-40 cm of fresh snow will have fallen widespread (most in the west), with only light winds,  nonetheless brittle drifts deposited on leeward slopes, bonding mostly adequate but weak layers are possible inside the freshest snow. The base is stable, highly varied snowpack makes large-scale weak layers unlikely. The old snowpack base is still moist, due to the weight-load of the fresh snow it can glide downhill over the warm ground.

A bit of nocturnal snowfall on Sunday night (5 cm), on the Main Tauern Ridge and in Lungau brisk northerly winds (40-50 km/hr) will be blowing, elsewhere only light winds. On Monday, reduced visibility, minor snowfall possible, the N/E winds will be light, on the Main Tauern Ridge and in Lungau blowing at moderate strength (30-40 km/hr, later slackening off). At 2000 m: -10 degrees, at 3000 m -13 degrees in the Tauern, -17 degrees on Hochkönig.

Avalanche danger levels are not expected to change significantly. Caution urged esp. in wind-exposed steep terrain.