Lower Tauern Central

Circumvent fresh snowdrifts in steep terrain

Circumvent fresh snowdrifts in steep terrain

Avalanche danger levels above the timberline are moderate. Freshly generated snowdrifts can be triggered as a small-to-medium sized slab avalanche in some places. Size and frequency of danger zones tend to increase rapidly with ascending altitude. Surface-near avalanches above 2200m can fracture down to more deeply embedded layers of the snowpack. Danger zones occur particularly on north and east-facing slopes, above 2400m also on south and west-facing slopes. Caution urged in transitions from shallow to deep snow. Naturally triggered small-to-medium sized glide-snow avalanches are possible. Circumvent zones below glide cracks.

Fresh and older snowdrift accumulations lie deposited atop a loosely-packed, expansively metamorphosed snow base which can serve as a fracture surface or atop drifts which the southerly foehn wind deposited there on Thursday in gullies. On sunny slopes the bonding to the often encrusted old snowpack surface is somewhat more favorable. Above about 2200m there are faceted crystals evident inside the old snowpack, often of surface hoar, which can frequently be prone to triggering. The entire snowpack can glide away over steep rocky places and grass-covered slopes.

The night will begin with heavy clouds, in the latter part of the night light snowfall will set in from the west. Sunday will start with heavy clouds and often reduced visibility at high altitudes. A few centimetres of snow is possible, or rain. North of the Main Alpine Ridge, some snowfall (maximum 10cm) which will turn to rain extending up to over 2500m. More precipiation is expected in the north than in the south. The zero-degree level will ascend to 3000m by evening. Most of the winds will be moderate to brisk from southwesterly directions, windspeeds reaching 50 km/hr. At high altitudes it will be noticeably milder. At 2000m: from -9 to +2 degrees. On Sunday night, variably cloudy with high altitude clouds passing through.

No significant change in avalanche danger levels is anticipated.