Snow conditions 22.12.2017

General danger level - Friday, 22.12.2017

Danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.

Main problem: wind-drifted snow

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost



Risk assessment

Avalanche danger is currently above about 1400 m elevation MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1. Steep slopes and places with wind-drifted snow are dangerous, where you can trigger primarily slab avalanches, which can release even with minor additional load on the snowpack. Lower down, the snowpack is mostly stable due to smaller snow amounts and intervening rain in previous days.



Snow conditions

Dry weather continues. The snowpack is slowly settling and metamorphosing. In sheltered locations it is mostly soft, on wind-exposed locations quite wind-packed and hard. Especially in mid-mountains, there is a thin crust on the surface in places. There are many drifts and wind slabs, ridges and saddles are scoured to the old base in places. Up to today it has warmed considerably in the heights. A layer of air with temperature above zero is from about 700 to 1800 m above sea level. The air is dry, so the snowpack has not become wet.



Forecast weather development

Dry and partly sunny weather will continue in the coming days. Until tomorrow noon, temperature conditions will be similar to today, tomorrow afternoon it will warm further and the freezing level will be in the evening and on Sunday above our highest peaks, on Monday it will drop to about 2500 m elevation, on Tuesday below 1500 m. On Monday a southwesterly wind will start blowing and cloudiness will build up in the western part of our mountains. Light precipitation will occur mainly in places in Posočje and in the hills of Notranjska and northern Primorska. On Tuesday precipitation in the west will intensify somewhat. The snow line will be at elevations between 600 and 900 m above sea level.



Trend in snow conditions

Due to warming, the snowpack will settle faster, especially on south-facing slopes a crust will form. It will remain potentially unstable on steep slopes and places with wind-drifted snow, of which there are many. Avalanche danger will remain above about 1600 m MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1.



Next bulletin: Tuesday, 26.12.2017



Source: ARSO