Conditions in the mountains 3.1.2011

Since the last report, the weather in the mountains has been dry. It warmed up, around zero degrees or slightly above zero occasionally up to an altitude of around 2000 m. But the air was dry, so the snow cover did not settle much, except on the surface on sun-exposed slopes. It was slowly transforming. In the high mountains above 2000 m and in gullies, the snow on the surface remained untransformed. On Saturday it cooled slightly again and now the temperature is below zero everywhere in the mountains.

In the Julian Alps there is around 380 cm of snow at 2500 m, and around 100 cm at 1500 m. Elsewhere in our mountains there is around 40 cm at 1500 m. Lower down there is considerably less. The snow cover is mostly covered with a crust formed by wind, on sun-exposed slopes and lower also due to melting and rain. On this crust there is dry snow, the quantity depends on altitude and also on geographical location. On wind-exposed sites this dry snow is largely wind-packed, often down to the crusty base.

Avalanche danger in the high mountains is level 2. An avalanche can be triggered by significant additional stress especially at sites with drifted snow and on steeper slopes. Lower down the danger is level 1. Primarily on scoured sites and at lower altitudes there is a risk of gliding.

Until midweek dry and cold weather will continue, the snow cover condition will not change.

The next report will be issued on Wednesday, 5 January.



General avalanche danger is moderate, i.e. level 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO