Werdenfels Alps

Daytime danger of dry-snow slab avalanches at high altitudes and wet-snow avalanches on sunny slopes

Daytime danger of dry-snow slab avalanches at high altitudes and wet-snow avalanches on sunny slopes

Above 2000 m, avalanche danger is moderate already in the morning hours, at low altitudes danger rises to moderate during the course of the day. At high altitudes the major problem is the fresh snow from the last few days. In steep ridgeline terrain and on steep wind-exposed spots, wherever the snow is gonded, slab avalanaches can be triggered even by minimum additional loading. Frequency and size of the avalanche prone locations increase with ascending altitude. Particularly at high altitudes, there is sufficient snow to create the risk of being buried in snow masses. Apart from that, during the course of the day the danger of moist and wet loose-snow and glide-snow avalanches will increase. These will trigger as a result of solar radiation in steep, rocky terrain and on steep, smooth grass-covered slopes at intermediate altitudes. Also here, avalanches can attain medium size.

The fresh snow of the last few days has already settled; it is bonded like a slab only on sunny and wind-exposed slopes. Wind impact from westerly directions is expected to intensify at high altitudes during the course of the day on Monday; thus fresh, shallow masses of snow can be transported. Particularly at high altitudes in transition zones to the old snowpack and inside the masses of fresh snow there are weak intermediate layer from place to place which are prone to triggering. Following a cold night of clear skies the snow will quickly become moist from solar radiation and forfeit its uppermost firmness. In addition, the snow is becoming wet from the warm earth, it could begin to glide as a single mass.

In case of warm temperatures and precipitation, the wet-snow problem will persist over the next few days. At high altitudes the snowdrift accumulations are a risk.