Allgäu Alps Central

Glide snow avalanches and wet loose snow avalanches; problem of snowdrifts and old snow higher up

Glide snow avalanches and wet loose snow avalanches; problem of snowdrifts and old snow higher up

The main problem: snowdrifts. Up to high altitude glide snow avalanches can trigger naturally on steep grass-covered slopes and in forest clearances. Glide cracks are alarm signals. Glide snow avalanches can grow to large size in isolated cases and can endanger exposed traffic routes. In addition, snowdrifts are still triggerable above the timberline, in particular by large additional loading. Avalanche prone locations are found in all expositions, however in particular on the shady side. They tend to increase in frequency and size with ascending altitude. At high altitude they can here and there also grow to large size where more deeply embedded layers are triggered. Additionally, superficial wet loose snow avalanches can trigger naturally on the sunny side at low and intermediate altitudes. They tend to be small.

On Sunday night there will be marked warming with rain up to 2000m. In the last few days the glide snow activities have increased; rainfall and warming have additionally accelerated the gliding movements. The packed snowdrift masses of recent days are bonding increasingly. Weak layers that are prone to triggering continue to exist mainly on the shady side at high altitude, both in the snowdrifts of recent days and at the base of the snowpack. At lower and intermediate altitudes the ground level layers of the snowpack are mainly stable, now moist from above and in many places wet at the base. 

The danger of loose snow avalanches will increase caused by mild temperatures.