Snow conditions 17.1.2022
17.01.2022
General danger level - Monday, 17. 1. 2022
Danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem: wind slab
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost
Risk assessment
Avalanche danger above sea level around 2000 m is MODERATE, level 2, lower down SLIGHT, level 1. Particularly in wind-scoured areas, there is DANGER OF SLIDES. The snowpack is mostly stable. Especially on steep, shady slopes in the high mountains, there are unconsolidated or poorly consolidated slabs where you can trigger persistent slab avalanches under greater load on the snowpack.
Snow conditions
Dry weather continues. In recent days, there has been a pronounced temperature reversal and dry air. Therefore, snow sintered only during the day on sun-exposed slopes and plateaus in the mid-mountains, where it froze at night. Crust has strengthened. Some snow has also settled in sun-facing areas. In the shade, snow remained hard or dry. Wind-exposed locations are heavily scoured, even to bare ground. More pronounced slabs remain mainly in shady locations, on southern ones snow has already bonded better.
Forecast weather development
Dry, mostly sunny and slightly cooler weather will continue. The zero isotherm is today just below 1500 m above sea level, in the coming days it will be slightly lower, and it will cool more noticeably from Thursday to Friday. Today mostly moderate northwesterly wind, tomorrow light to moderate northerly wind, on Wednesday light to moderate southwesterly.
Trend in snow conditions
In lower sunny locations in the mid-mountains, the snowpack will soften somewhat during the day and freeze at night. Higher up and in the shade, snow will transform only slowly, above around 1500 m conditions will remain almost unchanged. The snowpack will be mostly stable, only in shady locations in the high mountains will there still be potentially unstable slabs. High danger of slides. Next avalanche bulletin on Wednesday, 19.1.2022.
Next issue: Wednesday, 19. 1. 2022
Source: ARSO