Werdenfels Alps

Wet loose snow avalanches in steep rocky terrain

Wet loose snow avalanches in steep rocky terrain

The avalanche danger remains moderate above 1600m and low below. Main problem: wet snow. As a consequence of solar radiation, it is possible that small loose snow avalanches trigger, in particular in steep rocky terrain that has not yet discharged. At intermediate altitude, glide snow avalanches can release spontaneously anytime in sparsely wooded forests or on smooth grass-covered slopes that have not yet discharged. Slopes with glide cracks should be avoided. Avalanches can grow to medium size. At high altitude snowdrift accumulations are now only triggerable by large additional loading. A few avalanche prone locations are found in shady extremely steep terrain as well as in gullies filled with wind-transported snow. Slab avalanches that release are mostly medium-sized.

Following a night with clear skies, the snowpack is mostly covered by a load-bearing crust in the morning. Mild temperatures and solar radiation soften the snowpack surface fast again on the sunny side. This can go hand in hand with a loss of firmness. At intermediate altitudes the snowpack is wet down to the ground and has strongly receded. At high altitudes, snowdrift accumulations persist that are still prone to triggering. These were deposited atop hard wind or melt-freeze crusts or atop a few centimeters of loose new snow. Close to the ground, faceted crystals partly still persist on shady slopes above 2200 m. Below 1400 m there is hardly any snow on the ground.

Springtime conditions are increasingly taking hold, i.e., the avalanche danger rises during the course of the day.