Snow conditions 23.2.2018

General danger level - Friday, 23.2.2018

The danger is level 2 on the European 5-level scale - MODERATE.

Main problem: new snow, wind slab

Danger pattern: Cold weather, poorly bonded fresh snow with wind



Risk assessment

The avalanche danger in the mountains is mostly MODERATE, level 2, only in the eastern Karawanks it will increase to level 3 in the afternoon due to new snow and will be CONSIDERABLE. Steep slopes and areas with wind slab are particularly dangerous, especially in more shaded locations where the old snow is still soft and poorly transformed. There, with greater load, you can trigger an avalanche, and on steep spots with wind slab, you can trigger an avalanche even with minor load on the snowpack in some places. Spontaneous avalanching is unlikely.



Snow conditions

On Wednesday it was dry weather, on Thursday it was lightly snowing in most of our mountains. Snowing resumed after a break in the night to Friday. Temperature was below zero, strong northeast wind was blowing. By this morning, 5 to about 20 cm of snow has fallen, the most in the eastern Karawanks and on Pohorje and in southeastern Slovenia, the least new snow is in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks. New snow is drifted into wind slabs on wind-exposed locations. The snowpack is mostly soft and loose, under the new snow there is a crust on sun-exposed locations that mostly does not support human weight. New snow is relatively poorly bonded with the crust base.



Forecast weather development

It will be cloudy and cold. Today it will still snow, in the night to Saturday snowing will stop in many places, on Saturday morning also in the south and southeast. Mostly moderate wind from eastern directions will blow, on Saturday it will weaken somewhat. On Saturday afternoon it will partially clear in some places. On Sunday it will be cloudier again. It will cool down strongly, at 1500 m temperature around -15, at 2500 between -17 and -20 degrees. North to northeast wind will strengthen. Also on Monday it will be cold and windy weather.



Trend in snow conditions

Due to low temperature and mostly cloudy weather, the snowpack will transform slowly. New snow will remain dry and wind will continue to transport it into wind slabs. On Sunday and early next week, due to very low temperatures, surface hoar may form in some places. There will be too little new snow in most of our mountains to significantly worsen avalanche conditions. Only in the eastern Karawanks and on steep grassy slopes in the hills of eastern Slovenia, the avalanche danger will increase somewhat and from Friday evening it will presumably be CONSIDERABLE, level 3. Elsewhere it will mostly be MODERATE, level 2. However, greater caution is needed especially on steeper slopes and places with wind slab where more than 10 cm of new snow has fallen. In these areas, you can still trigger a small avalanche even with minor load on the snowpack locally.



Next issue: Sunday, 25.2.2018



Source: ARSO