Snow conditions 25. 3. 2024

General danger level - Monday, 25. 3. 2024
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
Danger pattern: Ground covered with snow

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger is MODERATE, level 2, the snowpack is mostly stable, especially due to cooling. Stability will slightly deteriorate during the day in sunny weather on all pronounced sun-exposed slopes, where the snowpack becomes somewhat less stable and slabs can be triggered by a load. Especially on wind-exposed sites, the snow is also hard and icy, posing a risk of slipping.

Snow conditions
During the passage of the cold front overnight into Sunday, 5 to about 20 cm of snow fell in the mountains, depending on altitude; during thunderstorms, there was also quite a bit of graupel and graupel pellets. A strong northerly wind blew temporarily, blowing the new snow into wind drifts. With cooling, the snow froze. The snowpack is mostly hard or crusty; where wind-packed new snow is present, it is dry and soft in the high mountains, but crusty lower down. Wind-exposed slopes are hard and icy.

Forecast weather development
Today it will be mostly clear. A light southwesterly to westerly wind will blow, northwesterly in the high mountains. The zero isotherm will likely remain below 1500 m above sea level. Tomorrow, after a mostly clear night, it will gradually cloud over from the west during the day with slightly warmer air arriving. In the afternoon, precipitation will start from the west and spread in the evening over most of our mountains except Pohorje and the easternmost Karawanks. The snow line will rise to between 1400 and 1600 m above sea level. A light to moderate southerly to southwesterly wind will blow. On Wednesday, it will be cloudy and foggy. In the western and southern Julian Alps, there will be occasional light precipitation, which will spread in the late afternoon and evening over all of Slovenia. The snow line will rise to around 2000 m above sea level. A moderate to strong southerly wind will blow. On Thursday and Friday, there will be occasional precipitation in the hills of western Slovenia, drier further east. The snow line will be around 2000 m. A moderate, occasionally strong southwesterly wind will blow.

Trend in snow conditions
Today and tomorrow, the snowpack will be relatively stable. Only on sun-exposed slopes may the snow soften somewhat and freeze overnight, making it slippery in the morning. In the high mountains, there are slabs; in places under the new snow there is graupel pellets or graupel, so caution is needed on steeper slopes. From Wednesday onwards, it will warm up again, the snow line will rise significantly. The focus of precipitation will be in the western and southern Julian Alps. Rain below around 2000 m will wet the snowpack, so in elevations where there is still relatively much snow, wet snow avalanches may release again. Above around 2000 m, new slabs will form; in places it will snow on a crusty or hard base, so dry snow avalanches will release from steep slopes. Avalanche danger will INCREASE. Also on Thursday and Friday, there will be occasional precipitation in the west, it will be relatively warm, so the snowpack will remain unstable, and snow will melt lower down.

Next issue: Thursday, 28. 3. 2024

Source: ARSO