Snow conditions 16.4.2012

At the end of the week it was mostly cloudy and foggy in the mountains with occasional light precipitation. The snow line was at around 1300 m above sea level. The amount of precipitation was quite varied. Between 5 and around 30 cm of snow fell, depending on elevation and also geographical location. The most precipitation was in the heart of the Julian Alps. There, in the high mountains, small avalanches of fresh snow were still releasing from steep slopes.

The consolidated snow cover reaches to around 1300 m above sea level, in places even lower, but there is little snow. The snow on the surface is mostly light and soft. On wind-exposed sites it is scoured in places. In total at 1500 m above sea level there is 10 to around 20 cm of snow, at 2500 m in the Julians up to around 180 cm. The avalanche danger is 2 in the high mountains of the Julian Alps, lower down and elsewhere in our mountains 1. Steep slopes are particularly dangerous, where even a spontaneous avalanche of new snow can still be triggered.

Until Friday the weather will be variable. On Tuesday and Wednesday it will be mostly dry, with only occasional afternoon showers possible here and there.

Occasional precipitation will occur again on Thursday, but the amount will not be large. Until Friday morning, up to at most 10 cm of snow is forecast to fall, more in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks than elsewhere. The snow line will be between 1300 and 1800 m. The snow cover will slowly settle and melt at lower elevations.

The new report will be issued on Friday, 20.4.2012.



The general avalanche danger is 2 on the European five-degree scale



Source: ARSO