2.01.2015
In the mountains, it was initially dry and cold weather. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday and on Wednesday daytime, it snowed in the area of the Julian Alps and the western part of the Karawanks. Up to around 20 cm of very dry snow fell, which the wind blew into drifts. The temperature was below zero until Thursday afternoon, when it had warmed up enough in higher elevations for a layer of air with positive temperature to form. Today, this layer is between around 1000 and 2700 m above sea level. The snow cover has settled slightly this week, and started to transform somewhat faster yesterday afternoon and today.
At an elevation of 2500 m, there is snow in the Julian Alps up to around 140 cm, at 1500 m up to around 70 cm, elsewhere from 20 to around 40 cm. Due to the wind, the height of the snow cover is quite uneven.
The snow cover is dry and loose, but on wind-exposed sites there is a crust on the surface formed by the wind. The snow is heavily windblown, on wind-exposed sites down to the ground or to the old base. On wind-exposed high mountain sites, the surface is icy in places. There is a lot of klož i.e. wind-blown snow.
The avalanche danger has decreased slightly and is mostly 2nd degree in the mountains, 1st degree in areas with less snow.
The snow cover is potentially unstable mainly at sites with wind-blown snow and on sufficiently steep slopes. There, you can trigger a snow avalanche by loading the snow cover.
Today, the snow cover will transform faster in the layer of positive temperature, especially on sun-facing slopes where it will settle somewhat, and freeze at night. Elsewhere, the snow will remain dry or frozen. Tomorrow it will cool somewhat, even more on Sunday when the temperature will again be below zero at all elevations. No noteworthy precipitation with passages of weakened weather fronts. Occasionally more windy, and the wind will mainly in the high mountains still transport snow.
The next report will be published on Monday, 5.1.2015 in the afternoon.
General avalanche danger is 3rd degree on the European five-level scale.
Source: ARSO