Lower Tauern Central

Fresh wind slab forms snow slab on weak old snowpack

Fresh wind slab forms snow slab on weak old snowpack

The avalanche risk is moderate above the tree line and low below. A soft snow surface and surface hoar are further overlaid by southerly foehn with fresh wind slabs. Heat input leads to a better formed snow slab. Medium-sized slab avalanches can be triggered by individuals in some places, especially from west to north to east, but also in a few places in the southern sector. Fractures in the fresh wind slab can tear through the persistent weak layer and tend to propagate. Avalanche prone locations in the persistent weak layer are barely recognisable and require a defensive choice of route. Take particular care near transitions from a little to a lot of snow and in the blown-in entrance areas to steep gullies.

The snowpack is highly variable and areas with little snow alternate with considerable snowdrift accumulations. In general, there is either a surface crust or a few centimetres of fresh windslab snow on top of older, often hard wind slabs, which are in the initial stages of kinetic metamorphism. Fractures usually occur close to the crust, which forms the transition to the completely angular old snowpack. Below this crust, the old snowpack consists of deep rime and angular forms, which are interspersed with further crusts in areas with more snow. The overall snow depth is well below average.

High cloud fields will soon gather on Wednesday and the light will become increasingly diffuse. A few snowflakes may fall from late morning, with a southerly wind blowing at high altitudes at around 40 to 50 kilometres per hour. At 2000 metres from south to north -3 to 0 degrees, at 3000 metres around -6 degrees.

The avalanche risk increases slightly with new fallen snow and wind.