Chiemgau Alps East

Caution also urged toward danger of being swept away by small slab avalanches

Caution also urged toward danger of being swept away by small slab avalanches

Above the timberline avalanche danger in the Allgäu, the Bavarian, and the Chiemgau Pre-Alps is moderate; below that altitude it is low. Fresh snowdrifts are the main problem. Avalanche prone locations occur esp. in steep ridgeline terrain on S/W/N facing locations and in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. In a few places the snowdrifts can be triggered as small slab avalanches even by minimal additional loading. Size and frequency of avalanche prone locations increase with ascending altitude. In addition, small glide snow avalanches can release spontaneously and slide over the smooth ground on very steep slopes. On the sunny side spontaneously releasing superficial loose snow avalanches (mostly small) in extremely steep terrain can be expected.

On Tuesday, stormy easterly winds will locally generate small-scale snowdrift accumulations. The snowdrifts were deposited atop the soft snow of the last precipitation period. Shooting cracks indicate that the snowpack structure is prone to triggering. In some places there is a crust at the transitions to the old snowpack surface, underneath which faceted crystals have formed. Elsewhere the old snowpack is thoroughly moist, often wet down to the ground. At lower altitudes, too, where ground had been totally bare of snow before the recent snowfall, the snowpack is now in many places wet. The consequence are gliding movements of the snowpack over the smooth ground.

Avalanche danger decreases slowly as result of calm high pressure weather.