Hochschwab Mountains

Fresh snow and moderate wind. Small dry loose-snow avalanches in steep terrain. Weak layers on shady slopes.

Fresh snow and moderate wind. Small dry loose-snow avalanches in steep terrain. Weak layers on shady slopes.

Above the treeline avalanche danger is MODERATE, below that altitude danger is LOW. Avalanche prone locations are found on shady slopes, in transition zones from shallow to deep snow. Isolated weak layers in fresh snow and in transitions to old snow can be triggered. By large additional loading on shady slopes, weak layers deeper in the old snowpack can still be triggered, then grow to medium-to-large avalanches. Due to fresh snow, dry loose-snow avalanches are possible in steep rough and rocky terrain. On steep grass-covered sunny slopes, naturally triggered glide-snow avalanches can still be expected. Fishbones (glide cracks) are red flags.

On sunny slopes the snowpack has settled well and is stable. A melt-freeze crust capable of bearing loads covers the snowpack surface on sunny slopes, in places there is corn snow. On shady slopes the surface is still soft, often with a wind-crust or old snowdrifts. Beneath these there are weak layers deeper inside the snowpack. During the course of the day on Tuesday, 15-20 cm of fresh snow are expected, amid moderate wind impact. On sunny slopes the snow will bond well with the moist snowpack, weak layers are likeliest inside the fresh snow itself. On shady slopes the weak layers can occur between new snow and old snow, as well as more deeply embedded in the old snowpack. On sunny slopes glide cracks have formed on steep grass-covered terrain.

On Tuesday a cold front from the northwest and a low over upper Italy will dominate. During the night skies will be overcast, in early morning the summits will be shrouded in cloud, visibility will be reduced. In morning in Ausseer Land light snowfall will set in, subsequently spread to the eastern massifs. In the afternoon the focus will be between Hochschwab and Wechsel. Winds will shift from SW to W/NW, intensify in late afternoon (initially up to 40 km/hr, later up to 60 km/hr). The snowfall level will lie between 800 and 1000 m, then descend slightly during the daytime. At 2000 m: temperatures dropping to -5 degrees.

The precipitation will slacken off on Tuesday evening, skies will clear. During the day on Wednesday, cloud cover from a warm front will approach from the northwest, in the afternoon precipitation will set in. Snowfall above 1200 m is anticipated. Stormy winds. With the rise in temperature, precipitation and storm-strength winds, avalanche danger is expected to increase.