Lower Tauern South

Beware fresh snowdrifts

Beware fresh snowdrifts

Avalanche danger above 1800 m is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. Fresh snowdrift accumulations can trigger by 1 person above 1800 m on steep shady slopes, releases often medium-sized. Danger zones will increase with ascending altitude, also distant from ridges, in steep gullies and bowls and behind discontinuities on W/N/E facing slopes. Latent danger of glide-snow avalanches persists. In high starting zones, avalanches can reach medium-to-large size. Avoid zones below glide cracks. Due to rain impact, small loose-snow avalanches can be expected on extremely steep sunny slopes below 1800 m.

Weak layers occur esp. in near-surface layers of the snowpack. Due to southerly foehn winds, snowdrifts on shady slopes are often deposited atop soft layers where they are trigger-prone. Stormy winds have distributed the snowfall irregularly, often generating hardened snowdrifts. More deeply embedded weak layers of faceted crystals near crusts are triggerable only in isolated cases.

Nighttime skies will be clear or with scattered clouds north of the Salzach. Further south and along the Tauern and Nockberge, more cloud cover and some precipitation, snowfall level at 1500 m. On the Main Alpine Ridge: 5 cm of fresh snow, transported by strong southerly foehn winds (100 km/hr, less further noth in Tennengebirge, Hochkönig). At 2000 m: 0 degrees in the south, +6 degrees in the Northern Alps; at 3000 m: -4 degrees in the south, -1 degree in the north. On Wednesday in the northern ranges, some clouds, some sun, good visibility. Near the Main Tauern Ridge and in the Lungau Nockberge, reduced visibility, some precipitation is possible, snowfall above 1500-1900 m. Towards evening, conditions will deteriorate in the north, showes and strong westerly winds will move in from the NW, snowfall level drop to 1200 m. Strong southerly winds will prevail, reaching 120 km/hr in the foehn lands of the Main Alpine Ridge, later slackening off noticeably. At 2000 m: 0-6 degrees (south/north); at 3000 m: -4 to +1 degrees (south/north). On Wednesday night, heavy clouds moving through, fresh snow (15 cm) from western Tauern to Loferer to Northern Alps.

Main problem remains snowdrifts