Avalanche Service Lower Austria

Thursday 5 March 2026

Published 4 Mar 2026, 17:00:00


Danger level



Little snow, the snow is falling.

The avalanche risk is low. The snow cover is advancing rapidly. Small loose snow slides on steep meadow slopes are the exception.

Snowpack

Due to the very mild weather, the thin snowpack is damp and wet. Only on shady slopes has a melt-freeze crust formed in places. There is only a little snow up to the summit regions.

Tendency

The avalanche risk remains low. The influence of high pressure will firm over the next few days, resulting in bright, sunny and very mild weather. At the weekend, Saharan dust could cause significant air turbidity.


Danger level


Avalanche Problem
Wet snow


Low avalanche danger. Occasional wet snow slides with warming during the day.

The avalanche risk is low. Where there are still snow reserves, wet snow or gliding sluffs may occur in a few places as the day warms up. At higher altitudes, there is an increased risk of falling in the entrance areas to steep gullies due to icy patches. These are partly covered by some new fallen snow. In the northern sector, there are still isolated avalanche prone locations in persistent weak layers at higher altitudes.

Snowpack

A melt-freeze crust forms overnight. However, due to the very mild weather phase, the snow surface is quickly soft and moist in sunny locations in the morning. In shady locations, the melt-freeze crust can also persist during the day. At higher altitudes, the snow surface is often hard and sometimes icy due to wind and rain. There is some new fallen snow above. There are still considerable amounts of wind slabs in the gullies and bowls, which are already well consolidated. Faceted crystals can weaken the snow base, fundament in the northern sector. There is little snow below 1500 metres.

Tendency

The avalanche risk remains low. The influence of high pressure will firmness over the next few days, resulting in bright, sunny and very mild weather. The dry air masses at higher altitudes will slow down the snowmelt. At the weekend, Sahara dust could cause significant air turbidity.