Allgäu Alps Central

Up to 70 cm of fresh snow in the Allgäu Alps. Large-sized avalanches can trigger naturally.

Up to 70 cm of fresh snow in the Allgäu Alps. Large-sized avalanches can trigger naturally.

Main problem: wind-ranging fresh snow. Due to the burden of this snow on the old snowpack surface and settling impulses from solar radiation tomorrow (Friday), large-sized loosely-packed and slab avalanches could trigger naturally. These releases can be expected at all altitudes and in all aspects. Moreover, if they fracture down to deeper layers they could in isolated cases grow to large size. Exposed transportation routes and hiking trails could be placed at risk. Apart from this, there is an old-snow problem. At high altitudes in all aspects there are ground-level weak layers of expansively metamorphosed (faceted) crystals which could trigger with large additional loading.

Since yesterday there has been 50-70 cm of fresh snow registered, lightly bonded with the surface hoar on the snowpack surface, in some places atop an expansively metamorphosed old snowpack surface. Bonding of the layers is poor. Older drifts are covered, lie bonded atop a loosely-packed, cold layer and are still prone to triggering. At high altitudes in all aspects there are ground-level weak layers of faceted crystals.

Avalanche danger levels are not expected to recede in the next few days.