Snow conditions 12. 2. 2024

General avalanche danger level - Monday, 12. 2. 2024
Danger is 3rd degree on the European 5-level scale - CONSIDERABLE.
Main problem: wet snow, wind slab
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after cold
Danger pattern: Glide snow

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE, 3rd degree, in most of our mountains above about 1800 m elevation, lower LOW, 1st degree. Especially dangerous are steeper slopes with wind slab in the high mountains, where smaller and also individual medium-sized or large avalanches of new, partially consolidated, and also dry snow can release spontaneously. Even with minor loading of the snowpack, a hiker or ski tourer can trigger an avalanche. Slightly lower danger in the eastern Karawanks and Kamnik-Savinja Alps.

Snow conditions
At the end of the week there was precipitation with a fairly high snow line. Most precipitation was in the southern and western part of the Julian Alps, where above about 1900 m up to about 50 cm of snow fell in three days. The amount is considerably less towards the east and with lower elevation. The snow was wet, only above about 2200 m more dry. During snowfall a strong southwesterly wind blew, so the snow is quite drifted, most of the wind slab is on the northern and eastern sides of ridges and saddles. Currently the zero isotherm is at about 1300 m elevation. New snow is mainly soft and light in sheltered locations, but quite compacted by wind in places. The snowpack height is very uneven. Below about 1800 m elevation the snow is frozen, there most precipitation fell as rain. The snow melted, but some snow fell at the end of the precipitation.

Forecast weather development
Today, on Monday, it will be mostly dry and quite cloudy, clouds will break mainly in the afternoon. Mostly weak winds from northern directions will blow. On Tuesday it will be partly clear with occasional increased cloudiness. A moderate northerly wind will blow. The zero isotherm will be between 1400 and 1600 m above sea level. On Wednesday it will warm up, the zero isotherm will rise above 2000 m. Moderately, occasionally mostly cloudy. Weak, moderate in high mountains northerly to northwesterly wind will blow. Also on Thursday moderately, occasionally mostly cloudy with similar temperature conditions as on Wednesday. Weak to moderate northwesterly will blow.

Tendency of snow conditions
Today and tomorrow snow and avalanche conditions will not change much. Due to lower temperatures snow will remain dry in high mountains, lower partly frozen partly wet, depending on elevation. There will be no stronger wind and thus new snow deposits or only little. The sun will influence somewhat tomorrow, on Tuesday, but not very pronounced. On Wednesday and Thursday due to warming the snow will crust somewhat more, also in high mountains, especially if enough sun, on sun-exposed slopes. Avalanche danger will increase slightly, in the longer term the top layer of newer snow will settle and gradually harden. Crust will also form. Lower, individual wet snow avalanches can release mainly from steep slopes.

Next issue: Thursday, 15. 2. 2024

Source: ARSO