Snow conditions 10. 1. 2025

General danger level - Friday, 10 January 2025
The danger is level 3 on the European 5-level scale - CONSIDERABLE.
Main problem: wind slab, new snow
Danger pattern: Cold weather, poorly bonded fresh snow with wind
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after cold

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger in the Julian Alps, Karawanks and Kamnik-Savinja Alps above about 1900 m is CONSIDERABLE, level 3, lower down to about 1600 m MODERATE, level 2. During the recent precipitation, the snow line was initially high (at altitudes between 1800 m and 1900 m), then dropped rapidly with the passage of the cold front. With the cooling, some snow fell to the bottom of the alpine valleys, but there is little snow lower down. In the high mountains, wind slabs are forming, with the most wind-packed snow near ridges, in gullies, and at slope breaks. There, a slab can be triggered with a small load, and in the high mountains, spontaneous dry slab avalanches are also possible from steep slopes.

Snow conditions
In the last 24 hours, 30 to about 40 cm of fresh snow has fallen in the high mountains, on the Kanin and Krn areas possibly more than 60 cm. The snow surface in the high mountains has been reshaped by the strong southwesterly wind, with wind slabs and drifts forming. Between about 1900 m and 1600 m, wet snow fell or it was partly raining and partly snowing. During the precipitation, graupel mixed in places. The snowpack has frozen with the cooling and stabilized somewhat. Below 1600 m, it mostly rained, only at the end of the precipitation did the rain turn to snow.

Forecast weather development
Today, Friday, it will clear from the north in the morning. In the hills of southeast Slovenia, there will still be light snow at first, but precipitation will end quickly in the morning. During the day, it will then be mostly sunny. Towards evening, more clouds will come from the west. A strong northwesterly wind will blow, weakening during the day. It will be noticeably colder than in previous days. Temperature at 1500 m around -7, at 2500 m around -13 °C. On Saturday, mostly clear. Weak to moderate northerly winds. Temperature at 1500 m around -6, at 2500 m around -14 °C. On Sunday, clear and still cold, northerly winds strengthening during the day. At the beginning of next week, mostly clear and cold weather will continue. Moderate to strong northeasterly wind.

Trend in snow conditions
In the high mountains, the snow will remain soft and light and will only slowly settle and transform. Lower down, caution is required on the snow base, which is frozen in many places. On Saturday, a weak to moderate northerly wind will blow, which will transport snow but no major new snow accumulations are expected. The northerly wind will strengthen on Sunday and Monday - then wind slabs will form mainly on south-facing slopes and sides of ridges.

Next bulletin: Monday, 13 January 2025

Source: ARSO