Schladming Tauern South

Poor visibility makes assessing avalanche risks on-site more difficult

Poor visibility makes assessing avalanche risks on-site more difficult

Avalanche danger above 1800 m is MODERATE, below that altitude danger is LOW. Northerly winds will generate fresh snowdrift accumulations during the course of the day in extended southern aspects which can be triggered even by the weight of one sole skier with ascending altitude, but will remain small sized. Isolated small-to-medium loose-snow avalanches are possible on extremely steep slopes. In highly isolated cases, glide-snow avalanches are still possible in these low temperatures.

The old snowpack is compact, and moist/wet up to high altitudes. With ascending altitude the bonding of fresh snow/drifts to the old snowpack worsens. The layer borderlines between recent layers of fresh fallen snow could be fracture points. Also the borderlines to the old snowpack in high alpine regions.

The occulusion of a low pressure front over the Adriatic is determining the weather in the Eastern Alps. From the northweste, arctic air masses are moving in. On Saturday, the mountains will be quite wintery. Most peaks will be shrouded in fog, snowfall and rainfall will repeatedly come down, most likely along the Northern Alps and in the Gurktal Alps. The precipitation will be minor, the snowfall level on the northern flank of the Alps will be at valley floor, in the southern regions at about 900 m. In the Upper Styrian massifs it will be colder: aat midday at -9 degrees at 2000 m; -6 degrees at 1500 m. Somewhat milder on the southern flank of the Alps: -6 and -3 degrees. Winds will be light to brisk, shifting from easterly to northwesterly during the course of the day.Also on Sunday, heavy low-lying cloud will dominate, the sun will be rare. On the northern flank of the Alps, some snowfall and low temperatures, a strong-to-stormy NW wind on the eastern rim of the Alps.

Starting on Sunday, the snowdrift problem will come to the forefront.