Hochschwab Mountains

Snowdrifts particularly on south-facing slopes

Snowdrifts particularly on south-facing slopes

In the eastern sector of the Northern Alps, moderate danger prevails, due to fresh, brittle snowdrifts which since Monday have been deposited on steep south-facing slopes, particularly in ridgeline terrain down to the treeline. A slab behind protruberances and at entries into gullies and bowls can generally be triggered by minimum additional loading. A cautious route selection can avoid the avalanche prone locations. Isolated avalanche danger zones occur on N/E facing slopes, where there is a persistent weak layer deeply embedded. Triggering a slab cannot be ruled out on shady, extremely steep slopes. The loose powder cannot bond well with the melt-freeze crusts and icy layer beneath it, thus, there is high risk of falling on very steep slopes.

From Hochschwab over Veitsch and Schneealpe all the way to the Rax, the compact old snowpack surface is melt-freeze encrusted and, depending on aspect, more or less capable of bearing loads. While on sunny slopes there is still melt-freeze encrusting, on shady slopes the surface is hard, often icy. Atop of it in wind-protected zuones is often powder, mostly unbonded with the old snow beneath it. The often strong northerly winds have transported the cold snow since Monday to south-facing slopes.

A pronounced high-pressure front over Central Europe is the force behind our weather. Styria lies at its eastern edge, thus intermediate-altitude clouds can be expected in the rimline ranges, these will disperse in the course of the morning. By midday, sunshine is expected throughout the mountains. The NE winds will be light, brisker later in the day. Temperatures at midday at 2000 m will be -5 degrees; at 1500 m: -1 degree; even milder near the Gurktal Alps: -2 to +2 degrees. Thursday will be cloudless in Styria, only in the furthermost eastern regions will there be some low lying clouds. Winds will be light. In the west, milder than in the east.

Since the snow will settle further on sunny slopes, avalanche danger will continue to diminish.