Snow conditions 26.12.2017

General avalanche danger level - Tuesday, 26. 12. 2017

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

Main problem: wind-drifted snow, new snow

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after cold



Risk assessment

The avalanche danger is currently above sea level around 1800 m MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1. The snowpack is fairly stable. Mainly dangerous are still places with wind-drifted snow on sufficiently steep slopes, where you can trigger an avalanche with greater load on the snowpack. Lower down, the snowpack is mostly stable due to smaller amount of snow and intervening rain in the past days. Due to precipitation, the danger will INCREASE in the following days.



Snow conditions

The state of the snowpack is very varied. On southern slopes, due to thawing, the snow is wet, in places also crusty, on wind-exposed sites hard. Ridges are strongly wind-scoured. In sheltered and northern sites, the snow is still soft. With increased moisture and precipitation, the conditions will of course change quickly.



Forecast weather development

Today it will be cloudy with occasional precipitation. Sunny still in the eastern Karawanks. Southwesterly wind will blow. Tomorrow precipitation will occur in a larger part of our mountains. The snow line will be today and tomorrow between around 800 and 1200 m above sea level. Also on Thursday there will still be precipitation, only the snow line will drop below 500 m above sea level. Northerly to northeasterly wind will blow. The zero isotherm will drop below 1000 m above sea level. On Friday it will clear from the west. On Saturday and Sunday dry weather, it will warm up a bit again, a temperature reversal will occur.



Trend of snow conditions

In elevations with rain at sea level, the snowpack will become soaked and thus unstable, individual ground avalanches may release on steep slopes. Higher up, the danger will gradually increase due to new snow. By Thursday evening, an estimated 20 to around 50 cm will fall, most in the area of western and central Julian Alps. The wind will create drifts and build cornices. In many places, the new snow will cover the crust or wind-packed snow, so individual avalanches may initially also release spontaneously. With cooling, the snow in lower sites will stabilize, also less will fall there, higher up it will remain light and dry and potentially unstable for some time.



Next publication: Thursday, 28. 12. 2017



Source: ARSO