Snow conditions 24.12.2014

Dry and exceptionally warm weather in the high mountains continues due to the temperature inversion. The air is dry and therefore the snow cover thins during the day mainly on sun-exposed slopes, where it freezes at night.

The surface crust is strengthening. In shaded areas the snow remains poorly transformed.

At an elevation of 2500 m there is snow in the Julian Alps up to around 110 cm, at 1500 m from 10 to 15 cm. Elsewhere there is less snow, sun-exposed slopes are bare in many places even up to 2000 m.

The condition of the snow cover is quite varied. Crust predominates, which in places in the high mountains bears human weight, the surface is icy in places. There is some wind-deposited snow, in gullies the snow is poorly transformed and especially in the high mountains dry. On wind-exposed sites there is quite a bit of wind-scoured snow.

The avalanche danger is mostly 1st degree.

The snow cover is mostly stable and bonded. You can trigger a small avalanche only on steeper and shaded slopes of the high mountains, mainly at sites with wind-deposited snow and under heavy loading of the snow cover.



Today and tomorrow the weather and conditions will not change much. On the night to Friday, with the passage of a cold front, it will cool significantly in the mountains. A few centimeters of snow will fall, but the strengthened northerly wind will blow it all away. The snow cover will remain frozen, icy in places.

The next report will be published on Saturday, 27.12.2014.



The general avalanche danger is 1st degree on the European five-level scale.



ARSO