Hochschwab Mountains

Storm-strength winds, poor visibility, widespread snowdrift accumulations, considerable avalanche danger at high altitudes.

Storm-strength winds, poor visibility, widespread snowdrift accumulations, considerable avalanche danger at high altitudes.

Above the treeline, considerable avalanche danger prevails due to freshly generated snowdrift accumulations. Avalanche prone locations are far-reaching, mainly found on east-facing and south-facing slopes. Slab avalanches can be triggered even by minimum additional loading particularly behind ridgelines and protruberances in the terrain and at entries into gullies and bowls. Poor visibility in outlying terrain makes recognition of the danger zones far more difficult. Below the treeline, avalanche danger is low as a consequence of little snow on the ground and only minor wind impact.

Prior to the onset of winter on Friday, there was a cohesive area-wide snowpack only above about 1500 m. This snowpack fundament is marked by intermittent phases of higher temperatures and rainfall, making it moist at intermediate altitudes and melt-freeze encrusted, or at least riddled with such crusts, at high altitudes. Surface hoar was formed on the surface in many places during the night of clear skies on Thursday. Atop this fundament, fresh snow deposited since Friday accompanied by storm-strength NW winds, is leading to wide-ranging snowdrift accumulations on east-facing and south-facing slopes. The expected amounts of fresh snow by Saturday: 80 cm in the Northern Alps on the Dachstein and in Totes Gebirge and about 50 cm on Hochschwab. Both inside the fresh snowdrifts (loosely-packed fresh snow in wind intermissions) and in the transitions to the old snow (surface hoar), weak layers can be expected.

The Eastern Alps are caught in the grips of a powerful NW air current with northern barrier clouds. On Sunday, low-lying clouds will dominate, bringing snowfall on the northern flank of the Niedere Tauern and along the Northern Alps with only brief interims. The southern flank of the Alps will remain favored. Isolated snow showers could extend briefly to the south, but sunny weather is expected to dominate there. Winds in the mountains will often be stormy. Temperatures at midday at 2000 m: -10 degrees; at 1500 m: -6 degrees. On Monday the air current will shift to westerly, bringing in its train milder and drier weather.

Additional snowfall on Saturday night plus the persistently stormy NW winds on Sunday will reinforce the snowdrift problem. Thus, the frequency of avalanche prone locations will increase.