Hochschwab Mountains

Still light snowfall and fresh trigger-sensitive snowdrifts above treeline

Still light snowfall and fresh trigger-sensitive snowdrifts above treeline

Above the timberline avalanche danger is considerable. Danger zones comprise freshly generated snowdrift accumulations, esp. in extended S/E facing terrain where 1 person can trigger an avalanche. At entries into gullies and bowls and behind protruberances, a slab can be unleashed which grows to medium size. Poor visibility makes assessment on-site difficult. On very steep grassy slopes or smooth rocky slopes, glide-snow avalanches can still be expected wherever the snow is deep enough.

The fresh snow of the last few days has been deposited on a melt-freeze encrusted snowpack surface above 1700 m and is prone to triggering. Inside the old snow weak layers of faceted crystals have formed, also inside snowdrift masses. Particularly on extended S/E facing slopes, the stormy NW winds have generated quite deep snowdrift accumulations. At intermediate altitudes the drifts have bonded better with the moist snowpack and the weak layers occur only at soft inner layers inside the fresh snow. Due to rain impact in recent days, glide-snow avalanches can trigger at any time of day on very steep slopes up to intermediate altitudes.

Also on Friday the weather will take 2 different directions. In the Northern Alps the summits are mostly hidden in heavy clouds and repeated bouts of snowfall are expected, in the southern regions there will be little cloud and lots of sunshine (except in the morning, with isolated showers which can extend to the rimline ranges). High altitude winds will be strong, elsewhere brisk, from the northwest. At 2000 m: -8 degrees at midday. By Saturday morning in Niedere Tauern up to 20 cm of fresh snow is anticipated, in Totes Gebirge and Hochschwab up to 50 cm.

On Saturday the clouds will disperse in the Northern Alps. After high fogbanks disperse in the rimline ranges it will become a sunny day. Winds will slacken off somewhat. At 2000 m: -7 degrees, getting warmer in the evening. Trigger-sensitive snowpack accumulations above the treeline remain the main problem.