Fischbach Alps East, Wechsel

CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger above 1000 m. Snowdrifts highly prone to triggering.

CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger above 1000 m. Snowdrifts highly prone to triggering.

Above 1000 m, CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger, below that altitude the danger is MODERATE. Due to fresh snowfall and winds, new snowdrift accumulations are being generated. Weak layers in the drifts are very prone to triggering, can be triggered even by the weight of one single skier. Frequency of avalanche prone locations increases with ascending altitude, and as drifts deepen the triggered releases can reach medium size. Whumpf noises and glide-cracks in the snowpack are clear alarm signals of imminent danger, indicate a highly instable snowpack. On steep grassy slopes, naturally triggered avalanches continue to be possible.

On Saturday, stormy NW winds were blowing which have transported the fresh snow massively over the last few days, depositing it as brittle, bonded snowdrift accumulations down as far as the forests. Below 1200 m the snowdrifts were deposited atop a moistened snowpack. As temperatures dropped during the day today the moistened snowpack stabilized and became encrusted. Weak layers occur inside the fresh snow and at the borders to the snowpack which are highly prone to triggering. Deeply embedded inside the snow cover are layers of faceted crystals bordering against melt-freeze crusts which weaken the entire snowpack. Summits and exposed terrain are utterly windblown.

Sunday will be cold, but the stormy conditions and fresh snowfall will come to an end. Winds will ease significantly, still strong in the morning. South of the Alps there will be mostly sunshine. Heavy clouds will persist north of the Alps, but not much snowfall and increasing sunshine. At 2000 m, -12 degrees.

Weather conditions are calming down. It will remain cold, danger will decrease.