Snow conditions 26.1.2014
27.01.2014
On Wednesday and into part of Thursday night it snowed, with the most snow falling in southern Slovenia, up to about 30 cm, and similarly in the higher elevations of western and northwestern Slovenia. It cooled down and temperatures were below zero in the hills and mountains. A strengthened wind from the east and north directions blew. The snow is mostly heavily wind-blown in the hills, with extensive areas of drifted snow especially on southern and western slopes. During and after snowfall, the snow often slid, as it snowed mostly on a crusty or hard base.
The most snow is above 2000 m in the western Julian Alps, where it reaches up to about 400 cm, elsewhere in the Julians up to over 300 cm, and in the higher elevations of the Karawanks and Kamnik-Savinja Alps locally around 190 cm. At 1500 m it is up to about 180 cm in the Julians, less elsewhere. Due to the wind, the height of the snow cover naturally depends greatly on exposure to the wind. The snow is quite crusty, with the crust formed by the wind, and on sun-exposed slopes below about 1700 m also due to daytime surface melting and nighttime freezing.
The avalanche danger is mostly 3rd degree, only below about 1300 m 2nd degree, depending on the amount of snow.
The snowpack is primarily potentially quite unstable.
An avalanche can be triggered by even small additional load on the snowpack.
Particularly dangerous are areas with drifted snow and steep slopes.
Spontaneous avalanching is expected to be minimal.
On Monday and Tuesday it will be mostly cloudy and dry weather. Temperatures in the hills will remain below zero throughout. The snow will slowly settle and transform. The influence of the sun will be minimal.
The next snowpack report will be issued on Wednesday, 29.1.2014.
The general avalanche danger is 3rd degree on the European five-level scale.
Source: ARSO