Snow conditions 27.1.2020

Danger is level 1 on the European five-level scale - LOW.

Main problem: drifted snow, new snow

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost



Risk assessment

Avalanche danger is LOW everywhere in our mountains, level 1. Avalanche conditions have not changed over the weekend.



Snow conditions

Over the weekend there were no significant precipitations, locally a few cm of snow fell above about 1500 m. Due to mostly cloudy weather the sun had no major influence on the snow. The snowpack is mostly hard or crusty, icy in places, only in shaded high mountain locations is the snow still soft in places or covered with a thin crust. On wind-exposed terrain the snow is strongly drifted, ridges are mostly icy.



Forecast weather development

Today sunny, in the afternoon cloudiness will start building in the western and southern Julian Alps and in the foothills. Temperature mostly around zero, in the high mountains a few degrees below zero. Wind light, in the afternoon southwest wind will begin blowing and strengthen. At night precipitations will start appearing in the west. Tomorrow cloudy and foggy. In the morning precipitations mainly in the Julian Alps area and western and central Karawanks and partly in Kamnik Alps. In the afternoon or evening precipitations will start from the north elsewhere too. Snowfall line initially around 1200 m above sea level, in the evening it will drop below 1000 m. Strong southwest wind blowing, which upon passage of the cold front towards evening will turn north to northwest. Somewhat cooling. Wednesday fairly sunny. Freezing level around 1200 m above sea level. Light to moderate northwest wind.



Trend of snow conditions

Avalanche conditions will change tomorrow due to new snow. Danger will likely increase to level 2. Snowing on hard and icy base, so new snow will not bond to the base. Strong southwest wind will transport it into slabs that will be potentially quite labile. At the end of precipitations north wind will blow, so some slabs also on southern sides of ridges and saddles. From steep slopes smaller avalanches of dry loose snow may release. At drifted snow locations you can quickly trigger slab avalanches already on moderately steep slopes even with minor snowpack loading. Wind-exposed spots will be scoured to old base and there and on ridges gliding danger will persist.



Next issue: Wednesday, 29.1.2020



Source: ARSO