Allgäu Alps West

Main danger: wet-snow/glide-snow avalanches

Main danger: wet-snow/glide-snow avalanches

Due to striking rise in temperatures and solar radiation, avalanche danger will increase from moderate in the morning to considerable. During the course of the day, esp. on sunny slopes but also in shady terrain, increasingly frequent wet-snow avalanches can be expected. Wet-snow and glide-snow avalanches can grow to medium size in starting zones where there is enough snow, releases can grow large and endanger exposed areas. Small-to-medium slab avalanches can be triggered by 1 person. Backcountry tours require a cautious route selection and should be terminated early in the day. Near-surface layers of the old snowpack are triggerable mostly by large additional loading. The often huge cornices also forfeit firmness due to higher temperatures and moistening, they can break or collapse.

Below 2500 m the old snowpack is thoroughly moist and wet down to the ground. The surface freezes at night depending on cloud cover andthus, nocturnal outgoing radiation is insufficient to consolidate it, only a thin melt-freeze crust can form which then quickly softens. Due to strong warmth impulse, the snowpack rapidly loses its firmness in the morning hours and weakens the snowpack.

Nocturnal hours: high clouds and Sahara dust will reduce outgoing radiation. Very mild air masses, zero-degree level above 3500 m. Monday daytime: Sahara dust will myke the air hazy, very warm again, zero-degree level above the highest mountaintops in Vorarlberg. At 2000 m: +8 to +13 degrees. Brisk to strong SW winds.

The foehn will end on Tuesday, a cold front will arrive on Tuesday night, bringing a noticeable drop in temperatures and some fresh snowfall down to 1000 m, amounts still uncertain. The danger of wet-snow avalanches will recede. Glide-snow avalanches remain unpredictable.