Snow conditions 22.12.2022

General avalanche danger level - Thursday, 22 December 2022
The danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem: wind slab, wet snow
Danger pattern: cooling after warm weather / warming after cold

Risk assessment
Above approximately 1800 m, the avalanche danger is MODERATE, level 2, and lower down it is LOW, level 1. The most dangerous areas are places with wind slab on sufficiently steep slopes, where individual spontaneous avalanches are possible, but above all, an avalanche can be triggered by a small additional load on the snowpack, which has become somewhat less stable due to the warming. Steep grass-covered slopes are also more dangerous, where spontaneous wet snow avalanches are possible. As the altitude decreases, the avalanche danger decreases rapidly, as the snowpack thickness also decreases rapidly.

Snow conditions
After a longer period without precipitation, the snowpack has settled and hardened in places, and especially in the mid-mountains and lower hills, it has also melted. The thaw was more pronounced in the southern mountain ranges and hills that were more influenced by humid and warm cloud cover and the southwesterly wind. Snow conditions vary greatly from place to place. In the mid-mountains, the snow is well transformed and relatively stable in many places, the snowpack is wet, and the top layer has frozen in places. In the high mountains, areas of less transformed snow can still be found; due to heating and cooling of the snowpack, a crust has formed in places and more frozen areas. There are many wind drifts on slopes of different orientations, wind-exposed locations are quite scoured. The snowpack depth is quite uneven. Steep slopes have slid in places and are almost snow-free, while lower-lying plateaus can be snow-covered.

Forecast weather development
Today, most of our mountains will be partly clear with occasional increased medium cloud cover. Low cloud will persist south of the ridge of the Bohinj Mountains and in places in the western Julians, with the high mountains above this cloud. A light to moderate wind from westerly directions will blow. It will be relatively warm. Temperature at 1500 m will be around 3, at 2500 m around -1 °C. Tomorrow, the mid-mountains of the western and southern Julian Alps will be cloudy and foggy, higher up partly clear with occasional increased cloud cover. Elsewhere moderately to mostly cloudy, with cloud base above the summits. Mostly moderate wind from westerly directions will blow. In the afternoon, temperature at 1500 m will be around 5, at 2500 m around 0 °C. The end of the week will also be dry and relatively warm. The westerly to southwesterly situation will persist. More sunshine in the high mountains and northern ranges.

Trend in snow conditions
The snow will continue to settle slowly and melt in places in the mid-mountains. At night, the snowpack will freeze in many places and soften during the day. On sufficiently steep slopes and from walls, individual wetter snow avalanches will be possible. Temperature conditions will not change much, so changes in the snowpack will be slow. Caution is needed in the high mountains, where slab avalanches will still be possible. Icy surfaces will also increase, so the risk of slipping will be greater.

Next issue: Friday, 23 December 2022

Source: ARSO