Avalanche danger increases

Crazy: fresh snow, minus 20 degrees, then a thaw

The Leutascher Dreitorspitze (back) and the Gehrenspitze (right) in the Wetterstein will get some fresh snow.

(Bild: Peter Freiberger)

Tyrol is in for a rollercoaster of weather in the coming days. After the snowfall at night, it will be freezing cold before the southerly foehn sends the country into hot flashes on Monday.

The cold front that reached us on Friday night should have brought up to 15 centimetres of fresh snow at higher altitudes - and considerably more in the Außerfern and Arlberg regions. "However, it will dry out quickly during the day," predicts meteorologist Michele Salmi from the UBIMET weather service.

"In high valley locations, even minus 20 degrees is possible on Saturday.

Michele Salmi, Meteorologe Wetterdienst UBIMET

Freezing cold night on Saturday
He is forecasting extremely low temperatures for Saturday night: "In high valley locations, even minus 20 degrees is possible." It will also be very frosty during the day, but the sun will be shining from the sky.

A southerly foehn will cause temperatures to rise dramatically on Monday.

(Bild: Christof Birbaumer)

Warning of risk of black ice on the roads
In the spirit of the rollercoaster ride, a little snow from the west will reach us again on Sunday. And the temperatures leave the cellar. The Inn Valley is more likely to see frozen rain. "There's a risk of black ice on the roads," warns Salmi.

South foehn brings double-digit plus temperatures
However, black ice will be a thing of the past on Monday at the latest. No wonder: a southerly foehn with thaw sets in and even reaches higher altitudes. The difference in temperature compared to Saturday is striking. According to Salmi, ten plus degrees are within reach on Epiphany.

In the particularly snowy regions in the west, danger level three will prevail - considerable avalanche danger.

Patrick Nairz, Leiter Tiroler Lawinenwarndienst

Bild: Lawinenwarndienst Tirol

Snow possible almost every day down to the valley next week
The weather will then continue to be unstable and moderately cold. Until the weekend, snow should be possible almost every day down to the valleys. According to Salmi, significant amounts of fresh snow are possible at high altitudes.

Dangerous drift snow on the mountains
The avalanche situation is worsening again. "It's particularly important to watch out for fresh drift snow deposits, especially on shady slopes above the tree line," emphasizes Patrick Nairz, head of the Tyrolean avalanche warning service. After all, these can be easily recognized by experienced skiers.