Snow conditions 16.2.2022

General danger level - Wednesday, 16. 2. 2022
Danger is level 3 on the European five-level scale - CONSIDERABLE.
Main problem: new snow, weak layers, wind slabs
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE, level 3, in the Julian Alps and in the western and central Karawanks above about 1500 m elevation, lower down and in the rest of our mountains MODERATE, level 2. Dangerous are spots with wind slabs and steeper slopes, where due to the weak layer under the new snow, dry snow avalanches may release spontaneously from sufficiently steep slopes. Even with minor snowpack loading you may trigger dry snow avalanches, and on wind slab spots slabs. Wind-exposed locations are heavily wind-loaded, there is a risk of slides.

Snow conditions
Until yesterday evening, 10 to about 50 cm of snow fell in the hills and mountains, the most in the western and central Julian Alps. The snow line was between 700 and 1000 m, further east even higher. New snow is dry and soft, below about 1400 m wet. In the snowpack there is a weak - hard and partly icy - layer, which, besides wind slabs, is the main cause of increased avalanche danger. On wind-exposed locations the new snow is wind-packed, there hard or icy. Below about 1500 m the new snow was wet and bonded better to the hard base.

Forecast weather development
Today partly clear with occasional increased cloudiness, some summits occasionally in clouds. From midday and afternoon clouds will build along the ridges of the western and southern Julian Alps and foothills. Initially a light southerly wind blowing, which will turn to southwest in the afternoon and strengthen. Zero isotherm at about 1400 m elevation. Tomorrow mostly clear, in the western and southern and partly central Julian Alps below about 1700 m cloudy and partly foggy. Moderate to strong westerly wind blowing, which will turn to northwesterly in the afternoon. Zero isotherm at elevation between 2500 and 2800 m. On Friday initially mostly clear, during the day clouding over in the hills of northern Primorska and Notranjska and in the western, southern and central Julian Alps, also some Karawanks summits may be in clouds in the afternoon. Southwest wind strengthening.

Tendency of snow conditions
In the next days avalanche danger will gradually decrease somewhat and be mostly MODERATE, level 2. But due to warming and solar radiation it will increase during the day, so on sun-exposed slopes midday and afternoon CONSIDERABLE, level 3. Therefore more dangerous will be south-oriented slopes from late morning to late afternoon and spots with wind slabs, which are mostly on northern and eastern sides of ridges and saddles. On wind-packed spots the risk of slides remains. Next avalanche bulletin we will publish on Friday, 18.2.2022.

Next issue: Friday, 18. 2. 2022

Source: ARSO