Avalanche.report

Tuesday 23.02.2021

Published 22 02 2021, 17:00

AM

Danger level

2600m
Avalanche Problem
Gliding snow
2600m
Wind-drifted snow
2400m

PM

Danger level

2600m
Avalanche Problem
Wet snow
2600m
Wind-drifted snow
2400m

Wet avalanches as the day progresses. Fresh wind slabs require caution.

A clear night will be followed in the early morning by quite favourable conditions. Individual gliding avalanches can also be released in the night or in the morning. From the late morning as a consequence of warming during the day and solar radiation there will be an appreciable increase in the danger of wet and gliding avalanches. Caution is to be exercised in particular on very steep sunny slopes below approximately 2600 m, as well as in steep rocky terrain. Wet avalanches can release the wet snowpack and reach large size. Exposed parts of transportation routes are endangered in isolated cases. Areas with glide cracks are to be avoided. Backcountry tours should be concluded timely.
As a consequence of the strong southwesterly wind, fresh snow drift accumulations formed during the last few days. The wind slabs are mostly easy to recognise and can only be released in isolated cases. The avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular on very steep shady slopes above approximately 2400 m and adjacent to ridgelines. Avalanches can additionally in very isolated cases be released in deeper layers by large loads, especially in areas where the snow cover is rather shallow. Such avalanche prone locations are very rare.

Snowpack

dp.10: springtime scenario
dp.6: cold, loose snow and wind

Outgoing longwave radiation during the night will be good over a wide area. The snowpack is moist and its surface has a melt-freeze crust that is strong in many cases. The surface of the snowpack will soften earlier than the day before. The spring-like weather conditions will give rise to increasing and thorough wetting of the snowpack, in particular on steep sunny slopes below approximately 2600 m, as well as on shady slopes below approximately 1800 m.
The strong wind has transported the loosely bonded old snow. The fresh and older wind slabs are lying on soft layers in particular on steep shady slopes above approximately 2400 m. As a consequence of mild temperatures and solar radiation the snow drift accumulations stabilised. Isolated avalanche prone weak layers exist in the centre of the snowpack on west, north and east facing slopes.

Tendency

Wet avalanches as the day progresses. As a consequence of warming and solar radiation, the natural avalanche activity will increase.