Lower Tauern South

Snowdrifts prone-to-triggering due to NW winds

Snowdrifts prone-to-triggering due to NW winds

Avalanche danger above 1800 m is CONSIDERABLE, below that altitude danger is MODERATE. Fresh snow and brisk N/NW winds are generating fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrifts. A slab is generally small, but can be easily triggered. Danger zones are generally on E/S facing slopes, both near ridgelines and distant from them. Snowdrifts from the beginning of the week can generally be triggered only by large additional loading or in extremely steep gullies by minimum additional loading, particularly in high alpine regions. Due to the unfavourable snowpack layering, superficial triggerings can fracture down to more deeply embedded layers inside the snowpack and grow to dangerously large size.

In very steep terrain, small loose-snow avalanches are likely.

Atop a snowpack surface showing marked effects of wind (gullies and bowls are filled to the brim, ridges are utterly windblown) cold snow or fresh snowdrifts lie deposited. Bonding is poor. Also the old snowpack is unfavourably layered (ground-level layers metamorphosed, atop of which are melt-freeze crusts/icy sheets and just beneath the surface hoar is embedded) lies a layer of powder which has not been wind-impacted.

On Friday evening, snowfall of varying intensity, accumulating measurably by Saturday evening (10-30 cm possible). On Saturday the peaks will be wreathed in heavy cloud, orientation is made difficult through fog and snowfall. Winds will be strong to stormy (60-80 km/hr at high altitude). At 2000 m: -13 degrees, at 3000 m: -18 degrees.

Treacherous snowdrift situation on Sunday