Snow conditions 24.4.2015

AVALANCHE RISK ASSESSMENT



Avalanche danger is mostly level 1, above about 2000 m mostly level 2.



The snowpack is generally stable, avalanches can mainly occur as new snow on the old, hard and partly crusted base. Risk is greater midday and in the afternoon as well as in the high mountains, lower down there is too little snow.



Risk is relatively low. No spontaneous avalanching is expected. You can trigger an avalanche on rare steep slopes in the high mountains and especially with greater additional loading.



SNOW CONDITIONS



In the previous days, snow melted in the sun, in high locations it became wet and froze at night. The snow line rose during the day to an altitude of about 2600 m, by today it has dropped to about 2100 m. Today the snowpack in the high mountains is mostly frozen, in the Julian Alps up to about 10 cm of snow has fallen in the high mountains.



In the Julian Alps at 2500 m altitude there is up to about 160 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 10 cm.

Elsewhere in our mountains there is less snow. Significant snowpack mostly reaches to an altitude of about 1500 m, in sunny aspects much higher.



CURRENT STATE OF THE SNOWPACK



The snowpack is mostly well transformed, only in some shady high-mountain locations there is still some poorly transformed snow that fell last weekend, in the Julians there is some new snow. In the event of possible sunny weather, during the day even in the high mountains the snow becomes wet and softens, at night it freezes. Today, especially in the Julians and western Karawanks, there will be occasional snow, and up to about 10 cm of snow can fall, which will bond poorly with the base.



FORECAST WEATHER DEVELOPMENT



Today it will be variable to mostly cloudy with occasional local precipitation. The snow line will be between 1600 and 2100 m altitude. In the Julian Alps and western Karawanks up to about 10 cm of snow will fall, elsewhere the amount will be negligible. A weak to moderate southwesterly wind will blow, weakening in the afternoon.



Tomorrow in the western Julians it will be moderately to mostly cloudy, elsewhere mostly sunny. The snow line will again be at the level of the highest peaks during the day. The snowpack will become wet during the day in the majority of our mountains, but freeze only in the high mountains in the night to Sunday, in the western Julians not everywhere due to cloudiness. There will be no significant precipitation. On Sunday it will be mostly cloudy and foggy, with occasional light precipitation in the Julian Alps. The snow line will be at an altitude of about 2300 m. Up to Monday morning up to about 15 cm of snow can fall there. Elsewhere it will be dry, on Sunday especially in the eastern part of our mountains there will also be some sun.



TRENDS IN SNOW CONDITIONS



Today the snowpack will remain harder only in the high mountains, lower down it will be wet and waterlogged. New snow in the western part of our mountains will bond poorly with the base. In the night to Saturday the snow will freeze and soften during the day under the influence of the sun, new snow will transform quickly. Also in the night to Sunday the snow in the high mountains will freeze, but especially in the Julians it will remain softer due to cloudiness. In the west new snow will accumulate.



The avalanche risk will be slightly higher today due to new snow in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks, elsewhere mostly level 1. Tomorrow and on Sunday the risk will increase slightly during the day due to the influence of the sun, in the western part of our mountains there will also be some new snow in the high mountains that will be potentially unstable.







The next report will be published on Monday, 27.4.2015.



Source: ARSO