Werdenfels Alps

All in all, between 40 cm and 60 cm of fresh snow and storm

All in all, between 40 cm and 60 cm of fresh snow and storm

Avalanche danger is considerable. Main problem: fresh snowdrifts. In many places slab avalanches can even be triggered by minimum additional loading such as a single skier. Avalanche prone locations are found in steep terrain in all aspects, also distant from ridgelines, in particular below protuberances and in gullies and bowls. Avalanches tend to be medium-sized, but in isolated cases can also grow large above the treeline. In addition, the new snow can trigger naturally as loose snow avalanches in very steep and extremely steep terrain. Where precipitations at high altitude are heaviest, large sized avalanches can trigger naturally.

As a result of heavy snowfall and storm, snowdrift accumulations will grow larger during the night. The snowdrifts have bonded only poorly with the old snowpack surface. On the sunny side, packed snowdrift masses are in many places found atop a melt-freeze crust; on the shady side atop a wind crust, atop older or more recent packed snowdrift masses or powder snow. In many places graupel is embedded between the near surface layers. The critical snow volume is reached in places, resulting in a loss of stability and as a consequence avalanches can release spontaneously.

Due to further snowfalls and plenty of wind the avalanche danger will increase by Saturday.