Chiemgau Alps East

AVOID snowdrift accumulations

AVOID snowdrift accumulations

Avalanche danger above 1600 m is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. Main danger: wide-ranging snowdrift accumulations. Avalanche prone locations are found in transition zones from shallow to deep snow, e.g. at entries into wind-loaded gullies and bowls, or behind protruberances and in shady ridgeline terrain in NW/N/E aspects, where a slab avalanche can be triggered by large additional loading. Avalanches can grow to large size. At intermediate altitudes, naturally triggered small-to-medium sized glide-snow avalanches are possible on steep grassy slopes or in steep forest zones.

Winds will intensify on Sunday, but significant snow transport will occur only as of evening. Crests and ridges are windblown, gullies and bowls filled metre-high with drifts. Layers of loose crystals and graupel lie embedded inside the snowpack, in places there are faceted crystals near a thin melt-freeze crust which formed before the last period of precipitation. In stability tests, fractures were generated in this layer above 1600 m, and the snowdrifts were prone to triggering. Mild temperatures during the daytime and low temperatures during the night have helped the snowpack to settle and consolidate. The surface is often melt-freeze encrusted, at ground level the snow is frequently moist.

As a result of fresh snow and storm-strength winds, avalanche danger will increase on Monday.