Hochschwab Mountains

Low avalanche danger, but persistent weak layer problems in the northern and eastern exposures!

Scattered clearing on the northern side of the Alps with foehn-like southerly winds. No significant change in the avalanche danger.

Low avalanche danger, but persistent weak layer problems in the northern and eastern exposures!

The avalanche risk is low. In the northern and eastern exposures, there is still a persistent weak layer problem at altitudes above the tree line. In addition, the strong to stormy southerly winds have created fresh pillows of wind drifted snow. In steep terrain, these can be triggered in a few places. However, the avalanches remain small even if they tear through to the old snowpack. In general, the risk of entrainment, falling and injury outweighs the risk of burial. However, be careful in the area of terrain traps.

There is still significantly less snow than average. A few centimetres of new fallen snow or isolated pillows of wind drifted snow are covering a very variable and mostly hard old snowpack. There is significantly more snow in shady gullies and bowls than on sunny slopes, some of which are partly bare up to 2000 metres. In the northern and eastern exposures, the snowpack continues to be weakened by layers with faceted crystals and floating snow, and the persistent weak layer problem remains.

During the night to Sunday, fog will form in many places, reaching up to 2000 metres. With a weak high-pressure influence, the high fog will lift in places during the day, with sunshine coming through, especially on the northern side of the Alps and in the western mountain groups; in general, the higher peaks around 2000 metres should be clear everywhere. Unproductive precipitation may fall from the fog in places. Temperatures at 2000 metres will be between -4 and -1 degrees, at 1500 metres between -2 and +1 degrees. The wind will be light from westerly directions.