Weisseck, Muhr Valley

Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrift masses, also in zones distant from ridgelines.

Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrift masses, also in zones distant from ridgelines.

Avalanche danger above 2000m is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. Due to strong winds from varying directions, snowdrift accumulations are being generated, thereby making avalanche prone locations in all aspects, including distant from ridgelines, which are extremely prone to triggering and which can trigger a medium-sized slab avalanche even be minimum additional loading. Moreover, in high alpine terrain on purely shady slopes (NW-NE) slab avalanches can be triggered in the old snow and reach medium size. In general, there is still little snow on the ground, danger zones in outlying terrain are often only minimally blanketed by fresh snow.

Fresh snowdrift accumulations are deposited particularly on shady slopes atop older layers of loose fresh snow and faceted (expansively metamorphosed) crystals. In gullies and bowls at high and high alpine altitudes there are often hardened layers of melt-freeze crusts (September snow) as well as layers of faceted crystals between the hard fundament and the bonded fresh fallen snow from the last days in November. The snowpack is diversely distributed. Below 1800m there is little snow on the ground, fresh fallen snow has fallen on bare ground.

On Friday night, particularly in the early part of the night, snow showers will pass through. The rainfall level will lie at about 1100m. Most of the fresh fallen snow will arrive between Hochkönig and Gosaukamm (20-30cm), in the Tauern about 10-15cm. Stormy winds from the northwest will prevail far-reachingly through the night, slackening off in the morning. Saturday will start sunny, high-altitude cloudbanks will dampen the sunshine somewhat. Clouds will then become heavier in the morning hours. In the afternoon, isolated snowflakes can be expected to fall, temperatures will rise. At 2000m from -2 to +2 degrees; at 3000m: from -7 to -3 degrees.

Some fresh snowfall will make avalanche danger rise a further notch.