Snow conditions 17.1.2018

General danger level - Wednesday, 17 January 2018

Danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.

Main problem: weak layers

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost



Risk assessment

Avalanche danger above sea level around 1800 m is MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1. Steep slopes are particularly dangerous, especially wind slab areas where increased load can trigger a wind slab avalanche. Danger is lower at lower elevations where there is less snow.



Snow conditions

The snowpack is mostly quite stable and refrozen, in the high mountains snow is still soft in places. In places there are a few centimetres of snow on the crust, on Pohorje and in places in the eastern Karawanks up to 10 cm.



Weather development forecast

Today variable cloudiness with occasional brief snow showers. Moderate to strong northwesterlies. Freezing level below 900 m above sea level. Tomorrow mostly clear, some cloudiness in the afternoon in the eastern Karawanks and on Pohorje, but cloud base above summits, in the hills of Notranjska and northern Primorska low cloud will start building around mid-afternoon. Northwesterlies will turn to southwesterlies early in the morning and strengthen, so it will be quite strong during the day. Slightly warmer. Friday moderately to mostly cloudy, partly clear in the east in the morning. Minor precipitation expected in the afternoon in the southwest. Moderate southwesterlies. The weekend weather forecast is still quite unreliable.



Trend in snow conditions

The snowpack will remain relatively stable and refrozen today. Tomorrow and Friday it will soften slightly in the mid-mountains due to somewhat higher temperatures, which will have a favourable effect on transformation and further stabilisation of the snowpack. Avalanche danger and conditions will not change much until Friday.



Next bulletin: Friday, 19 January 2018



Source: ARSO