Avalanche danger high

Snow warning for the western regions of Tyrol

Between 50 and 100 centimetres of fresh snow are expected in the west of Tyrol in the coming days.

(Bild: Peter Maier)

Snowfall of between 50 and 100 centimetres is expected in Tyrol over the next few days. On Saturday afternoon, Geosphere Austria issued a snow warning of the second-highest level (orange) for the western regions of the province. The avalanche situation could become precarious.

The snow warning is valid from Sunday up to and including Wednesday, December 25. The Upper Lech Valley, the Arlberg region, the Verwall and the rear Paznaun Valley in the Landeck and Reutte districts are specifically affected, it was said. Snowfall of between 50 and 100 centimetres is expected there. The avalanche situation is likely to be tense.

Stormy wind and rain
On Sunday, it is initially expected to rain in the west of Tyrol with stormy winds, but towards Monday the precipitation is likely to turn into snow even at low altitudes. "The latest forecasts show that on Monday and Tuesday, in particular, there will be heavy snowfall down to the valley regions," said Elmar Rizzoli, head of the Tyrolean Center for Crisis and Disaster Management.

Astrid Mair (ÖVP), the provincial councillor responsible for safety, appealed to icy skiers to take the weather situation into account when planning their journey and to obtain information about the route before setting off by car.

Expected high risk of avalanches
In the Tyrolean mountains, the avalanche danger is expected to rise to danger level 4 (high) on the five-point scale in the coming days due to the abundance of fresh snow and stormy winds. A lot of new and drifting snow will be deposited on the mostly thin snow cover, as Matthias Walcher from the Tyrolean avalanche warning service informed us.

"A weak snowpack structure and up to one meter of fresh snow in places are the perfect ingredients for a tense avalanche situation," said the expert. Slab avalanches are easy to trigger in many places and spontaneous descents are also to be expected in the coming days, according to Walcher.