Hochschwab Mountains

Increase in avalanche danger due to fresh wind slab!

Increase in avalanche danger due to fresh wind slab!

The avalanche danger increases to moderate above the tree line. Fresh snowdrift accumulations, mainly in the north, east and south sectors, can be triggered as medium slab avalanches in some places behind ridgelines, terrain edges and in gullies and bowls due to low additional loads.

Up to 20 cm of new fallen snow, sometimes interspersed with graupel, is being transported to the eastern sectors by strong westerly winds, especially in the northern Alps, where it forms bound wind slab. In regions and terrain with little wind, the new fallen snow remains soft and powdery. The fresh wind slab is often covered by a weak layer of faceted crystals or surface hoar. In the foundation of the snow cover, kinetic metamorphism (floating snow) weakens the stability.

Snowfall will intensify in the western northern Alps during the night to Friday. During the day, deep wintry weather will prevail and the snowfall will move across the Niedere Tauern and into the foothills during the morning. After the weather calms down briefly, the snowfall could intensify again in western Upper Styria in the evening. A total of up to 20 cm of new fallen snow is expected. The wind will be strong in the northern Alps and somewhat weaker from the west south of the main Alpine ridge. Temperatures at 2000 metres will be much milder than recently at -4 to 0 degrees.

The weather will calm down briefly on Saturday morning before snowfall starts again with the influx of cold polar air. The risk of avalanches increases slightly.