Snow conditions 20.11.2014

Snow fell lower in the mountains at the beginning of the week, when the snow line in the Upper Sava Valley and in Bohinj dropped to the bottom of the valley. Elsewhere, the snow line was mostly at an altitude of 1000 m or even higher. Some snow fell on Tuesday during the day.

The freezing level dropped from the initial 2000 m to around 1800 m by mid-morning, today it is at 2000 m altitude.

At 2500 m altitude, the snow depth ranges from around 100 cm in the Julian Alps to about 60 cm elsewhere in our mountains. With decreasing altitude, the snow cover thickness decreases rapidly; at 1500 m it is around 40 cm in the Julian Alps, less elsewhere.

The snow cover is mostly dry and soft on the surface; beneath the surface layer of soft snow there is a thin crust or slightly denser and thus more compact snow, which does not support human weight.

North and northwesterly winds have partly drifted the snow into wind slabs in the high mountains.

Avalanche danger is mostly level 1, only in the high mountains above about 2300 m level 2.

The snowpack is generally stable; even in the high mountains there is still too little snow and no old base that would allow new snow to slide. Only on steep slopes in the high mountains and especially in gullies, where some old snow remains, can the upper snow layer slab under heavy load.



Until Monday, sunny weather will prevail with a temperature rise, most pronounced on Saturday and Sunday. The freezing level will rise to around 2400 m on Friday, by the end of the week above our highest peaks. The air will remain dry, so the snow cover will settle and transform very slowly, somewhat faster only on sun-exposed slopes. In gullies, the snow will remain almost unchanged.

Avalanche conditions will hardly change; only at lower altitudes will the snow settle and transform somewhat faster and also melt on sun-exposed slopes.

The next report will be published on Monday, 24.11.2014.



General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO