Snow conditions 16.3.2016

AVALANCHE RISK ASSESSMENT



Avalanche danger is at level 2.



The snowpack has somewhat stabilized. In sunny weather, snow on sun-exposed slopes softens and melts during the day, so wet snow slab avalanches are possible on steep grassy slopes in the afternoon. On north-facing slopes in the high mountains, the snow is still poorly metamorphosed, so the surface layers are poorly bonded to the underlying layers. There is a lot of slab. Avalanches can be triggered by a large additional load on the snowpack, especially on steep slopes and places with wind-deposited snow.





SNOW CONDITIONS and CURRENT SNOWPACK STATE



In the mountains up to this morning, with distinctly local precipitation, up to 10 cm of snow fell in places. Despite the cloud cover, due to relatively low temperatures, the surface is partially refrozen. Strong winds in recent days have mainly in the high mountains continued to transport snow into drifts.



In the Julian Alps and western Karawanks, at 2500 m from 340 to about 430 cm of snow, at 1500 m from 210 to about 320 cm, at 1000 m from 20 to about 60 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m from 80 to about 140 cm of snow, less towards the east. Significant snow cover begins at about 800 m a.s.l., in gullies even lower.



The snowpack state varies considerably. Lower down the snow is mostly south-facing. Higher up, especially on sun-exposed slopes and wind-exposed locations, it is crusted, sometimes hard. Only in sheltered shady gullies is it still soft and dry. There are many drifts and slabs. On wind-exposed locations the snow is quite wind-packed. On sun-exposed slopes there is quite a lot of sugary snow, which with the warming at the end of the week will also in lower elevations increase the danger of full-depth avalanches, especially on steeper slopes.





FORECAST WEATHER DEVELOPMENT



On Wednesday it will be mostly cloudy and locally foggy. Occasionally light snow is possible in places. Here and there in the west some sun may appear. Weak to moderate easterly winds will blow. Temperature at 1500 m around -5, at 2500 m midday around -10 °C. Freezing level at about 800 m a.s.l.



On Thursday morning only locally some cloud, during the day clearing everywhere. Weak easterly winds. Temperature at 1500 m around -1, at 2500 m midday around -6 °C. Freezing level will rise to about 1200 m by afternoon.



Sunny and increasingly warm also on Friday, freezing level will rise to 2000 m a.s.l.!





SNOW CONDITION TREND



The snowpack will slowly settle and metamorphose. In the coming days under the influence of sun and rapidly rising daytime temperatures it will melt and on sun-exposed slopes become transitively more unstable (!), also in shady locations it will gradually soften higher up. At night the snowpack surface will refreeze.



Due to the expected fine weather towards the end of the week, there will probably be more mountain visitors as well,

possibilities for avalanche release will despite settling and metamorphism of the snowpack be diverse:

from spontaneous small avalanches - also full-depth - of wet snow during the day especially on steeper southern slopes

to slab avalanches of wind-deposited snow mainly in high-mountain gullies, which due to weak layers in the old snowpack can be triggered already by moderate loading.





Next report will be issued on FRIDAY, 18.3.2016 in the morning.



Source: ARSO