Snow conditions 17.3.2014

In mostly sunny and relatively warm weather, the transformation and settling of the snow cover in the mountains continues. In lower altitudes and on sun-exposed slopes, it is even melting. Even at night, the snow has not frozen everywhere.



The snow cover extends up to about 800 m above sea level, in shady areas up to about 1300 m. The snow depth is quite uneven.

The most snow above 1800 m is in the western Julian Alps, where it is locally over 600 cm, elsewhere in the Julian Alps at higher elevations up to about 450 cm, in the central Karawanks and Kamnik-Savinja Alps up to about 200 cm. At 1500 m, in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks up to about 300 cm, elsewhere 80 to 110 cm. The snow cover is mostly frozen at night and in the morning, crusty in the high mountains, hard lower down. On warmer nights, snow does not freeze even in mid-mountains. During the day, the snow cover mostly softens, remaining dry and frozen only in shady high mountain areas.

Avalanche danger is mostly 2nd degree.

The snow cover is moderately stable. Problematic remain primarily steep shady spots in high mountains with wind-packed snow. Also on sun-exposed slopes, by late morning the snow cover becomes more unstable, the top layer softens and on steeper slopes slides over somewhat harder lower layers upon loading, some wet snow avalanche can release spontaneously.

At night, the snow cover is somewhat more stable.



Dry weather will continue until the end of this week. Mostly sunny, temporarily somewhat cloudier only on Wednesday, when a short shower is possible in the Julian Alps. Today was the warmest, in the following days temperature will slowly drop.

Snow and avalanche conditions will not change much until Friday.

Snow will continue to settle and transform, and melt lower down.

Gradually the snow cover will stabilize, but steeper sun-exposed slopes will remain more labile midday and in the afternoon.

The next snow report will be issued on Friday, 21.3.2014 in the morning.



General avalanche danger is moderate, i.e. 2nd degree on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO