Snow conditions 11.3.2022

General danger level - Friday, 11 March 2022
Danger is level 1 on the European five-level scale - LOW.
Main problem: weak layers, wind slab
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger is mostly LOW, level 1. More dangerous are areas with wind slab, mainly south and west of ridges and saddles. Be particularly careful in gullies, where there may still be more wind-blown snow, and at transitions from thicker to thinner snowpack. You can trigger an avalanche mainly under increased load on the snowpack. Wind-exposed slopes are heavily scoured. The snowpack is icy in places, with significant risk of slipping.

Snow conditions
Under the influence of sun and higher air temperatures, the snowpack melted and became wet yesterday and on Wednesday during the day, mainly on sun-exposed slopes, and froze at night due to marked cooling. In lower areas below about 1500 m a.s.l., the snowpack also melted, but higher up this process was negligible due to dry air mass. In more shaded areas, the snowpack has not changed significantly in recent days. A light to moderate northerly to easterly wind blew. Snow is mostly hard and crusted, only in shaded and more sheltered areas is there locally up to 20 cm of soft wind-blown snow. The snowpack in the mountains is significantly thinner than the long-term average for this time. In the high mountains, there is about 1 m less snow, in the mid-mountains about 0.5 m. The snowpack depth is very uneven. Sun-exposed slopes are quite bare high up. Wind-exposed slopes are heavily scoured, even to the ground. Due to pronounced night-time cooling of the snowpack, surface hoar has begun to form.

Forecast weather development
The period of dry weather will continue. Today it will be initially mostly cloudy and foggy, above about 2200 m mostly clear. In the morning it will gradually clear from the east. In the high mountains, a light northeasterly wind will blow, in the mid-mountains a light southeasterly. Temperature at 1500 m will be from -9 to -6, at 2500 m around -8 °C. Colder in the east. On Saturday it will be clear. A light easterly to southeasterly wind will blow. Temperature at 1500 m around -6, at 2500 m around -7 °C. Sunday will also be clear. A light to moderate southwesterly wind will pick up. Warmer. Temperature at 1500 m midday from -4 to -1, at 2500 m around -5 °C. Monday mostly clear with some high cirrus clouds. A light to moderate westerly wind will blow. Temperature at 1500 m midday around 2, at 2500 m around -3 °C.

Trend in snow conditions
Snow conditions will not change much. Snow will remain hard and frozen. On Sunday and especially Monday, the snowpack on sun-exposed slopes will become slightly wet on the surface during the day. In more shaded areas, conditions will remain unchanged. The snowpack will be stable, only caution is needed in areas with wind slab. Significant risk of slipping will remain. The next avalanche bulletin will be published on Monday, 14.3.2022.

Next issue: Monday, 14 March 2022

Source: ARSO