Wölz Tauern South

Moderate avalanche danger above the timberline - fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrifts

Moderate avalanche danger above the timberline - fresh, trigger-sensitive snowdrifts

Avalanche danger above the treeline is MODERATE, below that altitude danger is LOW. At high altitudes freshly generated snowdrift accumulations in N/E aspects, behind abrupt discontinuities in the terrain and in gullies and bowls are being generated. They can be triggered even by minimum additional loading in some places and grow to medium size. Danger zones are not visible to the naked eye due to reduced visibility. They increase with ascending altitude. Below 1600m, rain is weakening the snowpack, wet loose-snow avalanches can be expected in steep terrain. Due to varying snow depths, loose-snow avalanches are usually small, only in zones which have not yet discharged can the grow to medium size.

Over the last few days the snowpack has become moist up to high altitudes, at ground level it is moist-to-wet. In general, the old snowpack is quite stable. Weak layers inside the older snowdrift accumulations and in transitions to the old snowpack are in the interim mostly reduced, not likely to trigger expect in isolated cases in shady high altitude terrain. Fresh snowdrifts generated on Tuesday are bonding well with the existing moist snowpack, trigger-sensitive weak layers still can exist inside the snowpack however.At intermediate altitudes the snowpack is thoroughly wet, the rain softens it still further and makes it lose stability. Snow depths are so minimal, however, that large releases are not possible. At low altitudes the snowpack is fragmented. 

On Tuesday, the peaks in Styria’s mountans will be veiled in cloud, rainfall and snowfall set in from the west in the morning and spread to all regions. The snowfall level will be between 1600m (Dachstein) and 2000 m (Koralpe) in the morning, then descend to 1000 m-1500m. Above the timberline from Dachstein and Totes Gebirge to Niedere Tauern, 10 cm of fresh snow is anticipated, elsewhere only a bit. Winds near the Koralpe will be stormy from the southwest until midday, elsewhere mostly moderate from W/SW. At 2000 m: 0 degrees. Winds will shift in the evening to NW and temperatures will drop further.

Little change is expected. As temperatures drop, wet-snow problems will recede. Weak layers inside the snowpacks will persist.