Avalanche warning service Bavaria with new website

The avalanche bulletin for the Bavarian Alpine region is available at www.lawinenwarndienst.bayern.de. It can also be subscribed to as an e-mail newsletter. Importantly, the avalanche bulletin for the following day is published in German and English from 6 p.m. onwards. It can therefore be used as a basis for planning winter activities in the mountains and is an indispensable source of information. The layout, menu navigation and presentation of the content on the website have been fundamentally revised in order to provide winter sports enthusiasts and residents in the relevant areas with clear avalanche-related information.

A new menu item is Blog & Knowledge, where you can find articles such as "Read the avalanche bulletin correctly". Under "Press review" you will find current media articles on the Bavarian Avalanche Warning Service. In addition, measurement data and webcams provide information on the general snow and weather situation.

Cross-border cooperation

Dr Thomas Feistl, Head of LWD Bavaria: "The time of issue has been agreed with the avalanche warning services in Vorarlberg, Salzburg, Upper Austria, Lower Austria, Carinthia and Styria. We also use the same input mask and presentation of the avalanche bulletin. An adjustment to the issue date of Tyrol, Switzerland and Italy is under discussion, but can only take place if all the warning services mentioned agree. We are working on this."

Editor's note on the issue date of the avalanche reports:

5 pm: Tyrol, South Tyrol, Trentino, Switzerland, Italy, France
6 pm: Styria, Bavaria, Vorarlberg, Carinthia, Lower and Upper Austria, Salzburg

Fastest data transfer from the mountain to the national warning centre

The high accuracy of the avalanche situation report is no coincidence. A great deal of technical effort and the meticulous work of the forecasters, including their network, are required for this extraordinary service. 19 measuring stations provide the LWD with countless data every day. In addition, snow profiles and reports are continuously supplied by external observers, such as the 404 volunteers from the 34 Bavarian avalanche commissions. LWD boss Feistl: "We are in the field ourselves once or twice a week, usually with the volunteers for training or to discuss current problem situations."

For the design of the new website, LWD Bavaria worked together with LO.LA, an Austrian company that has already developed the information technology for many local avalanche bulletins - namely LO.LA. Expert Walter Würtl from LO.LA: "The new website is also a source of information for experts, especially the avalanche commissions. They have access to much more detailed - but also more difficult to interpret - raw data via a special app. Communication in the other direction is also made easier: the commission members can quickly provide feedback on the snow situation and snow profiles directly in the field via the special tool, as well as report avalanche events. This means that the exchange of information is standardised, recorded immediately and helps forecasters to produce even more accurate avalanche reports.

Brief information on LWD Bavaria:

• Founded in 1967

• Main task: Prevention of snow avalanche hazards in the Bavarian Alps

• Land warning centre in Munich

• Head: Dr Thomas Feistl, deputy head: Christoph Hummel

• 34 avalanche commissions

• 404 volunteers