Snow conditions 20.2.2015
20.02.2015
The general avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.
Avalanche danger is locally level 2 in the high mountains,
lower, and in places with little snow, level 1.
The snowpack has somewhat stabilized since midday, but is still locally potentially unstable and poorly bonded to the base, especially on shady slopes.
An avalanche can only be triggered by significant loading of the snowpack, mainly on steep slopes and areas with wind-blown snow.
On sun-exposed slopes, snow will melt during the day, so attention to possible snow slides, especially on steeper grassy areas, is advisable.
SNOW CONDITIONS
On Wednesday and Thursday, there was quite a lot of sunny weather in the mountains. Above sea level around 1000 m up to over 2000 m, temperature was above 0°C.
Snow melted somewhat on sun-exposed slopes during the day and froze at night, elsewhere it remained frozen and dry.
The snowpack has been slowly transforming.
Snowpack depth is quite uneven. At 2500 m up to around 180 cm, at 1500 m up to around 100 cm, at 1000 m from 20 to around 60 cm.
CURRENT SNOWPACK STATUS
The snowpack in the high mountains and shady areas is dry and mostly crusted, on more wind-exposed sites and sun-exposed slopes also hard, only occasionally still soft in sheltered shady spots. There are many slabs and wind crusts that are still relatively unstable. Ridges are mostly quite wind-scoured and therefore hard and icy in places, sometimes snow scoured to bare ground.
In lower areas, snow has transformed, surface has crusted in places.
FORECAST WEATHER DEVELOPMENT
Today mostly clear, in the afternoon or evening clouds will start forming in the western Julian Alps, on the south side of the Bohinj ridge and in the inner hills. Southwesterly wind will strengthen. Temperature at 1500 m around 2, at 2500 m -2°C.
The snowpack will mostly remain frozen, only on sun-exposed slopes will the surface melt somewhat during the day.
Tomorrow partly clear in the eastern Karawanks and Pohorje. Elsewhere variable to mostly cloudy and locally foggy. In the Julian Alps area and inner hills, light snow at times. Moderate southwesterly wind. Temperature at 1500 m around -2, at 2500 m around -6°C.
Snow will not transform significantly.
Sunday night and Sunday cloudy and foggy with snow, moderate easterly wind. Snow line around 500 m.
By Monday morning, 10 to around 30 cm of dry snow may fall, which the wind will transport and deposit into slabs in places.
SNOW CONDITIONS TREND
Avalanche danger will increase in most of our mountains due to the expected new snow on Sunday and early next week.
Next report will be published on Monday, 23.2.2015.
Source: ARSO