Lower Tauern South

In few places, avalanches can trigger in the old snow. Circumvent snowdrift accumulations.

In few places, avalanches can trigger in the old snow. Circumvent snowdrift accumulations.

Avalanche danger above 2000m is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. In few places, an avalanche can be triggered by large additional loading as a slab avalanche. Danger zones are mostly small, occur in all aspects, hard to recognize even for the practiced eye. Fresh and older drifts on some NW/SE facing ridgeline slopes can be easily triggered as a small slab by minimum additional loading, these are easy to recognize, releases remain small-sized. On extemely steep slopes small loose-snow avalanches are possible. Isolated small glide-snow avalanches are possible.

Atop a hardened crust and on high-altitude shady slopes in wind-protected terrain, there is still loose snow atop round crystals. In some places, winds from varying directions have transported the snow and blanketed layers of loose fresh snow on shady slopes or older surface hoar which is prone to triggering. On steep shady slopes the old snowpack fundament is expansively metamorphose (faceted crystals) and can in isolated cases be triggered. On sunny slopes up to 2400m there is no longer an area-wide cohesive snowpack fundament. In addition, on sunny slopes faceted layers near surface-near crusts have been generated. Where a slab has formed atop this, it is prone to triggering. On East/West/South facing slopes the snowpack in early morning bears a thin melt-freeze crust.

Friday will bring sunshine and clouds alternating, the lower cloud border lies above summit level, which will make light conditions diffuse but not limit visibility. Winds will be light to moderate from the south, at high altitude in the Tauern from the north. At 2000m: 0 to 3 degrees; at 3000m: -5 to -2 degrees. Nocturnal skies will be variably cloudy and dry.

No significant change in danger levels anticipated.