Snow conditions 14.12.2023

General danger level - Thursday, 14 December 2023
Danger is level 3 on the European five-level scale - CONSIDERABLE.
Main problem: new snow
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost
Danger pattern: Cold weather, poorly bonded fresh snow with wind

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger is above sea level around 1700 m CONSIDERABLE, level 3, lower down MODERATE, level 2. Steep slopes are especially dangerous, where with minor loading you can trigger small or medium-sized slab avalanches, spontaneous release of small and medium-sized and individual large avalanches of dry, poorly bonded snow is also possible. New snow has covered the hard and icy base in the high mountains above around 2000 m in places, so there may also be weak layers under the new snow, old slabs are also covered. There are currently not many new wind slabs.

Snow conditions
Until this morning, between around 20 and 60 cm of snow has fallen in the mountains, possibly a little more in places, depending on altitude. The snow line has dropped below 1000 m, in places on Gorenjska even a few hundred metres lower, but little snow fell there. Precipitation was fairly evenly distributed locally by amount in the alpine region. The new snow is light and soft. Above around 2000 m, the snow was dry during snowfall, so it bonded less well to the base than lower down, where it was wet. There was no strong wind, only today the northerly wind is starting to blow.

Forecast weather development
Today it will be moderately, occasionally mostly cloudy, with cloud bases mostly above the summits, lower in the eastern part of the mountains. The northerly wind will strengthen. The zero isotherm will be at sea level a little above 1500 m. Tomorrow partly clear with occasional moderate cloudiness, more in the eastern Karawanks and on Pohorje. Some summits may occasionally be in clouds. A moderate northerly wind will blow, occasionally strengthened in places. Slightly colder, zero at around 1000 m sea level. On Saturday mostly clear, occasionally moderately cloudy mainly in the eastern part of our mountains. Temperature and wind conditions will be similar to Friday.

Trend in snow conditions
Avalanche danger will remain INCREASED, especially as the wind will transport snow and slabs will form mainly on south-facing sides of ridges and saddles. The possibility of slab avalanche release will increase. Due to low temperatures and dry air, the snow will remain soft and will only transform slowly in the coming days, some thin crusts may form only due to wind. On wind-exposed sites, the new snow will be blown away, so icy or hard layers will come to the surface again.

Next issue: Friday, 15 December 2023

Source: ARSO