Allgäu Alps West

Main danger: fresh snowdrift accumulations and weak layers in the old snow

Main danger: fresh snowdrift accumulations and weak layers in the old snow

Fresh snow and snowdrifts are prone to triggering particularly in ridgeline zones, wind-loaded gullies ad bowls and behind abrupt discontinuities in the terrain. They tend to increase with ascending altitude. Small to medium slab avalanches can be triggered by one sole winter sports anthusiast. If they fracture to deeper layers they can grow to large size. Also, above 2400 m on steep shady slopes there are unfavourable layers in the old snowpack. In very steep terrain and heavily wind-loaded zones, small slab avalanches and increasingly frequent slides can trigger naturally.

By early morning today there was 20-40 cm of fresh snow registered which at high altitudes was intensively transported. Fresh snow and drifts are prone to triggering. They lie deposited atop loose and soft layers or melt-freeze encrusted old snowpack surfaces. Bonding deteriorates with ascending altitude. At high altitudes on shady slopes in particular, there are still weak layers evident deeply embedded inside the snowpack fundament. These danger zones are not visible to the naked eye. Below 1800 m the snow is often falling on bare ground.

Tuesday: Compact clouds during the morning, snow showers and correspondingly poor visibility. In the afternoon the snow showers will taper off, the clouds disperse, temperatures start to rise. Strong winds will make it seem still cold. At 2000 m: -7 degrees at midday. Very gusty W/NW winds.

On Wednesday, clouds will disperse, it will become intermittently sunny. Amid strong westerly winds, temperatures will rise. The zero-degree level will be temporarily at about 2000 m. Towards evening, snowfall will set in from the northwest. Also: strong to stormy westerly winds. Avalanche danger levels could rise further.