Hochschwab Mountains

Mostly low avalanche danger – Take heed of snowdrifts at high altitudes

Mostly low avalanche danger – Take heed of snowdrifts at high altitudes

Avalanche danger in the northern barrier cloud regions is moderate above the treeline. The fresh snowdrifts require attentiveness, in places they can trigger a slab by large additional loading. Danger zones are found behind protruberances at high altitudes, near ridges and in general on leeward slopes in N/E/W aspects. Due to solar radiation, naturally triggered loose-snow avalanches can be expected on sunny slopes.

Since Tuesday there has been up to 50 cm of fresh snow from place to place in the northern barrier cloud regions, focus of precipitation was in the Hochschwab region; and also up to 20 cm of fresh snow in the rimline ranges. This fresh snow was deposited atop a moist but mostly encrusted hard old snowpack surface. Due to wind impact, fresh snowdrift patches can be formed. During the course of the day the settling of the snowpack will proceed swiftly, as a result of solar radiation and daytime warming.

Thursday will be a sunny day by and large, with repeated heavy cloudbanks passing through. Winds will be moderate to brisk from the south, and it will be somewhat milder. At 2000 m: between +4 in the Dachstein regions and Totes Gebirge and about 0 degrees in the NE regions and rimline ranges. On Friday, overcast skies, repeated bouts of precipitation (snowfall level quite high: between 1800 and 2000 m in Dachstein and Totes Gebirge, elsewhere between 1500 and 1700 m).

The wet-snow problem will become more pronounced through the forecast rainfall.