Lower Tauern South

Many hardened surfaces, caution in shallow-snow high alpine regions

Many hardened surfaces, caution in shallow-snow high alpine regions

Oberhalb von 2300 m herrscht teilweise mäßige Lawinengefahr. Darunter ist sie gering. Intermediate layers at ground level of the old snow merit special caution. These hidden, not easily recognized avalanche prone spots can, by large additional loading, trigger a slab avalanche in isolated cases. This applies to high alpine regions in very steep, relatively shallow-snow (also rocky) terrain, particularly in extended N/E aspects. Triggered avalanches can grow to medium size.Isolated fresh snowdrift patches are sometimes easily triggered, the greatest risk is of being forced to take a fall.

Melt-freeze encrusted surfaces (steel-hard, icy, breakable, snowdrift patches) dominate. Even in high alpine regions above 2600 m, the surfaces are strikingly marked by hard wind crusts. Fresh snowdrift patches are rare, mostly they are thin and small.Inside the snowpack the latest rounds of fresh snow are well bonded. A potential trigger-sensitive layer of faceted and soft old snow is evident in some high altitude places. Current stability tests show, however, that there is little tendency towards fracture propagation, at least not area-wide.

On Monday, sunny. During the day, only bits of cloud will pass through far above summit levels. Southerly foehn wind will intensify. 30-50 km/hr. At 2000 m: -1 degree; at 3000 m: -8 degrees. Moderate southerly winds. On Tuesday above the valley fog there is good visibility despite cloudbanks passing through, though the light conditions might be diffuse intermittently. During the afternoon cloudbanks will become heavier, towards evening light snowfall will set in (below 1700-1900 m rainfall). At 2000 m: 0 degrees; at 3000 m: -7 degrees.

As a result of the new snow on Wednesday and Thursday, the situation above intermediate altitudes will change: avalanche danger will increase.