Rising avalanche danger above the treeline due to fresh snow and wind
Above the treeline, fresh snowdrifts are accumulating. These are often prone to triggering and easily unleashed as a slab avalanche. Their magnitude and spread tend to increase with ascending altitude. Avalanche headquarters currently has little data from outlying regions about the snowpack, for that reason a cautious on-site evaluation is important. Below the treeline, avalanche danger is low. Isolated danger zone for small triggerings (slides) are possible in steep terrain. The risks of being swept along and forced to take a fall need to be considered.
Snowpack
By Sunday evening, 5-10cm of fresh snow is anticipated, locally up to 15cm. It will fall on a mostly wind-impacted, generally well bonded old snowpack surface. With ascending altitude, paricularly in ridgeline and pass areas, fresh, mostly small snowdrifts masses prevail. These are often minimally bonded with the old snowpack and thus, prone to triggering.
Tendency
Depending on fresh fallen snow and wind influence, avalanche danger at high altitudes can rise further by Monday.
Danger level
2200m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
2200m
Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations
As a result of fresh snowfall and strong-to-storm strength winds from varying directions, trigger-sensitive snowdrift accumulations have been generated since Friday, particularly in gullies, bowls and behind protruberances in the landscape. These can be triggered by one single skier in all aspects above 2200m. Due to winds the drifted masses will continue to grow further, particularly on SE-S-SW facing slopes in high alpine regions. Caution is urged esp. along the Salzburg. border in the regions where there has been snowfall. Avalanches are medium-sized in isolated cases. Apart from the risks of being buried in snow masses, the danger of being swept along and forced to take a fall need to be taken into consideration.
Snowpack
dp.6: cold, loose snow and wind dp.1: deep persistent weak layer
From place to place, 20-25 cm of snowfall has fallen since Friday. Winds were blowing at strong-to-storm strength. Freshly generated snowdrift accumulations are poorly bonded with each other and with the old snow. The upper layers of the snowpack are soft; the lower layers are faceted.
Tendency
Forecasts of developments, including of avalanche danger, are still uncertain.
Danger level
2000m
Avalanche Problem
New snow
2000m
Persistent weak layer
2600m
Covered snowdrift masses, fresh snowdrift accumulations in high alpine regions
Avalanche danger above 2000m is moderate, below that altiutude danger is low. The major risk stems from recent snowdrifts, near to and distant from ridgelines. Most of the avalanche prone locations occur on north- and east-facing slopes and are almost impossible to recognize due to the new fallen snow, particularly wind-loaded gullies and bowls should be circumvented. Avalanches will be small, reaching maximally medium-size, they can fracture by minimal additional loading, more often large additional loading is necessary. As of 2600m on purely shady slopes there is a small persistent weak layer problem: particularly by large additional loading, isolated medium-sized avalanches can be triggered.
Snowpack
Atop the fresh snow and snowdrifts of recent days, loose and cold, fresh snowfall is expected, without much wind influence. Only in high alpine regions can the NE winds generated fresh, small snowdrift masses. The drifted masses of recent days will fracture mostly in the fresh fallen snow just below it or else at the uppermost melt-freeze crust. At high and high alpine altitudes, the September snow has persisted and now serves as a compact base. In places in transition zones from the September snow to the November snow, there are faceted crystals which can serve as a fracture surface. The snow is diversely distributed: broad and narrow ridges are often completely windblown, also in other areas the fresh fallen snow blankets the base insufficiently.
Tendency
Danger expected to gradually recede.
Danger level
1900m
Avalanche Problem
New snow
1900m
Covered snowdrift masses
Avalanche danger above 1900m is moderate, danger is low below that altiutude. The major risk stems from recent snowdrifts, near to and distant from ridgelines. Most of the avalanche prone locations occur on north- and east-facing slopes, they are almost impossible to recognize due to the new fallen snow, particularly wind-loaded gullies and bowls should be circumvented. Avalanches will be small, reaching maximally medium-size, they can fracture particularly by large additional loading. On extremely steep slopes, small loosely-packed snow avalanches can release.
Snowpack
Atop the fresh snow and snowdrifts of recent days, loose and cold, fresh snowfall is falling, without much wind influence. The drifted masses of recent days will fracture mostly in the fresh fallen snow just below it or else at the uppermost melt-freeze crust. The snow is diversely distributed: broad and narrow ridges are often completely windblown, also in other areas the fresh fallen snow blankets the base insufficiently.
Tendency
Danger is expected to gradually recede. The snow is settling.
Danger level
1600m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
1600m
Snowpack
Tendency
Danger level
1800m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
1800m
Snowpack
Tendency
Danger level
1800m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
1800m
Limited Visibility conditions - Caution: snow drift is prone to triggering, especially in gullies and bowls with old snowpacks.
The Avalanche danger above around 1.800 m AMSL is moderate, below 1.800 m AMSL: low. Stormy winds from west to northwest cleared out exposed slopes but drifted snow towards gullies and bowls behind ridgelines. Snowdirftpacks tend to be prone to triggering, possible slab avalaches are small to medium, could be triggered by individual skiers with small additional load. Due to temporary warming and radiationon saturday the situation eased out on sunny slopes, the situation on shady slopes is marginal changing. Due to windshift increaasing snowdrift in west sector is expected. Depending on the wind influence avalanche prone locations can offer only weak snowpack layers, risk of falling.
Snowpack
In the area of the northern Alps as well as on the north side of Tauern the amount of new snow during the night of saturday is significantly more than predicted. The amount of new snow in Totes Gebirge and the area of Hochschwab is about 50 cm. The snow got on bare soils, fresh snow drift in gullies and bowls in highe shady slopes got on bonded snow from the last Novemberdays which transformed to facetted snow crystals.
Tendency
Low amounts of new snow and weakening wind will not lead to significant changes of the avalanche danger scale.
Danger level
1800m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
1800m
Caution urged towards trigger-sensitive, covered snowdrift accumulations with ascending altitude
Avalanche danger above 2000m is moderate, danger is low below that altitude. Snowdrifts are the major problem, these can trigger a small-to-medium sized slab avalanche by minimum additional loading in some places. Danger zones occur near to and distant from ridgelines, mostly on NW-E-SE facing slopes and in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. Frequency of avalanche prone locations tends to increase with ascending altitude.
Snowpack
The snowpack at high altitudes is much impacted by winds, snow depths are very diverse, broad and narrow ridges are uttler windblown. Particularly at high altitudes, weak intermediate layers inside the snowpack are still prone to triggering. At intermediate altitudes these layers were able to consolidate well on Saturday due to the milder temperatures.Small snowdrift accumulations are difficult to recognize, because they have been blanketed by a few cm of fresh fallen snow. At high altitudes in the Allgäu Alps, a layer of faceted (expansively metamorphosed) crystals has been generated beneath a melt-freeze crust inside the old snowpack. All in all, there is little snow on the ground.
Tendency
Little change in avalanche danger levels is anticipated.
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Snowpack
Tendency
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
New snow
Isolated danger zones, covered by fresh snow
Avalanche danger is low. Small, covered drifted masses in steep terrain could be triggered by the weight of one single skier in isolated cases, particularly near ridgelines on north- and east-facing slopes.
Snowpack
Atop the fresh snow and snowdrifts of recent days, loose and cold, fresh snowfall is expected, without much wind influence. The drifted masses of recent days will fracture mostly in the fresh fallen snow just below it or else at the uppermost melt-freeze crust. At high and high alpine altitudes, the September snow has persisted and now serves as a compact base. In places in transition zones from the September snow to the November snow, there are faceted crystals which can serve as a fracture surface. The snow is diversely distributed: broad and narrow ridges are often completely windblown, also in other areas the fresh fallen snow blankets the base insufficiently.
Tendency
Danger expected to remain constant
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Snowpack
Tendency
Danger level
treeline
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Treeline
Only few danger zones where the snowdrift accumulations are blanketed
Avalanche danger is low, Fresh drifts can trigger small sized slab avalanches by minimum addtional loading, e.g. the weight of one single skier. Danger zones occur near to and distant from ridgelines due to strong winds in steep terrain on NW-E-S facing slopes and in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. The risks of being forced to take a fall outweigh those of being buried in snow masses.
Snowpack
Weak intermediate layers inside the snowdrift masses of recent days were able to consolidate on Saturday due to milder temperatures, they are trigger-sensitive only in a few places. The snowdrifts have been blanketed by a few cm of fresh fallen snow, they are difficult to recognize. The snowpack is much wind-impacted, the snow depths widely varied. All in all, there is little snow on the ground.
Tendency
Little change in avalanche danger levels is anticipated.
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Limited visibility Conditions - Small Danger zones due to snow drifts
The avalanche prone locations due to new snow drift are located on shady slopes, where the new snow is above of rests of old snow from the last Novemberdays. In higher altitudes the fundament has transformed to facetted snow crystals and is in relation to snow drift prone to triggering. Slab avalanches are possible with higher additional load, but the amount of the possible avalanche stays small. Falling risks due to minor snow pack.
Snowpack
South of the Alps few snow, expected snowfall during the night predominately north of the Alps. Precipitations are forecasted only on the edge of the Southern Alps, no great amount of new snow is predicted. Vivid Winds during the weekend have spread the new snow unevenly in the area, leading to cleared slopes but snow drifted gullies and bowls.
Tendency
Decreasing winds, few new snow will not lead to significant changes of the avalanche danger.
Danger level
treeline
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Treeline
Slightly rising avalanche danger above the treeline due to fresh snow and wind.
Above the treeline, fresh, mostly small snowdrift accumulations require caution. Isolated danger zones for small avalanche triggerings (slides) in steep terrain are possible. Avalanche headquarters currently has little data from outlying regions about the snowpack, for that reason a cautious on-site evaluation is important. Below the treeline, no marked avalanche problem is evident.
Snowpack
By Sunday evening, 5-10cm of fresh snow is anticipated which will be transported by winds. It will fall on a mostly bare ground, at higher altitudes atop a well-bonded and mostly wind-impacted shallow snowpack surface. Above the treeline, paricularly in ridgeline and pass areas, fresh, mostly small snowdrifts masses prevail.
