Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrift masses, also in zones distant from ridgelines.
Avalanche danger above 2000m is moderate, below that altitude danger is low. Due to strong winds from varying directions, snowdrift accumulations are being generated, thereby making avalanche prone locations in all aspects, including distant from ridgelines, which are extremely prone to triggering and which can trigger a medium-sized slab avalanche even be minimum additional loading. Moreover, in high alpine terrain on purely shady slopes (NW-NE) slab avalanches can be triggered in the old snow and reach medium size. In general, there is still little snow on the ground, danger zones in outlying terrain are often only minimally blanketed by fresh snow.
Snowpack
In wind-protected zones there is very loosely-packed fresh snow on the surface which is being transported by intensifying winds. During the daytime hours, fresh snowdrift accumulations are being generated and deposited top of loosely-packed snowpack surfaces. On shady slopes, blanketed surface hoar can in isolated cases serve as a weak layer. In gullies and bowls in high and high altitude spots, generally hardened layers consisting of melt-freeze crusts form the basis of the snowpack fundament (September snow). Faceted, often trigger-sensitive intermediate layers between this base and the bonded snow from November often weaken the layering. Below 1800m the fresh snow fell by and large on bare ground.
Tendency
Variable weather conditions and a new round of precipitation will raise avalanche danger a notch.
