Ybbstaler Alpen

Beware of prone to triggering wind slabs! Gliding sluffs are possible at low altitude.

Beware of prone to triggering wind slabs! Gliding sluffs are possible at low altitude.

The avalanche risk is considerable above 1200 metres (level 3!). New fallen snow and stormy winds have created fresh snowdrift accumulations in almost all aspects, which can be triggered by individual winter sports enthusiasts as medium-sized, occasionally also as large slab avalanches. The avalanche prone locations are mainly in gullies, bowls and behind terrain edges. Take particular care in the transition from a little to a lot of snow. Spontaneous slab avalanches as well as loose snow avalanches are possible from very steep slopes. Gliding sluffs are possible at low altitude.

30 to 70 cm of new fallen snow has fallen under the influence of strong winds. Weak layers are located within the drift snow packs or in the transition to the old snowpack. In deep layers in northern aspects, there are still faceted crystals or floating snow in the old snowpack, but these may already be interspersed with melt-freeze crusts. There is a little less snow at low altitudes, especially on sunny slopes. In the lower layers, the snow is moist due to the warm ground and may start to glide snow in places as the day warms up.

During the coming night, the cloud cover will still be mostly dense, especially in the Gutenstein Alps it will still snow lightly at times, but the strong wind will blow away most of the new fallen snow. On Saturday, the mountains will initially be covered in cloud, but there will be hardly any snow. During the daytime changes, the clouds will become increasingly soft from the west. Most of the sunshine will be in the Ybbstal Alps. The temperature at an altitude of 2000 metres will be between -10 and -7 degrees. The temperature at an altitude of 1500 metres will be between -6 and -3 degrees. Strong to stormy winds with gusts between 50 and 80 km/h from the north. The snowfall level is between the valleys and around 800 metres above sea level.

From Sunday, the weather will once again be prone to disruption, it will be mostly cloudy and it will snow lightly from time to time. New drift snow packs form with the stormy wind. The avalanche risk remains the same.