Snow conditions 27.2.2015

Avalanche danger is mostly level 2, lower down, mostly below the tree line, level 1.



It was dry in the mountains and quite sunny on Thursday. The snow cover has been transforming, especially on sun-exposed slopes. You can trigger an avalanche with greater loading of the snow cover primarily on steeper slopes and places with wind-deposited snow.



The risk is still mainly due to poor connection between the old, crusted and partly icy base and the upper layer of newer snow.



SNOW CONDITIONS



On Wednesday it was quite cloudy and mainly dry weather. The east wind weakened and no longer created larger new drifts. The snow cover slowly transformed, a crust formed on sunny slopes.





The snow cover height is quite uneven. At 2500 m elevation in the Julian Alps there is snow up to about 210 cm, at 1500 m up to about 130 cm, at 1000 m from 40 to about 80 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains there is slightly less snow. Significant snow cover extends mostly to about 800 m above sea level, in valleys and gullies even lower.



CURRENT STATE OF SNOW COVER



The snow cover is soft and settles to the old, hard base, but crust has already formed due to daily heating and nightly freezing on sun-exposed slopes and partly on flat terrain. There are many drifts and slabs that are still relatively unstable. Ridges and wind-exposed locations are quite wind-packed and therefore hard and icy in places, even bare.



FORECAST WEATHER DEVELOPMENT



Today sunny, zero isotherm initially at about 900 m above sea level, but will rise slightly during the day. No strong wind. Tomorrow partly clear with occasional increased cloudiness. Similar on Sunday, cloudier in hills of northern Primorska and Notranjska as well as in Julian Alps and western Karawanks. On Sunday southwest wind will strengthen. Until Monday morning no significant precipitation in the west.



SNOW CONDITIONS TREND



Avalanche danger will persist in most of our mountains. Northern slopes will remain more dangerous, especially places with wind-deposited snow. On southern slopes the snow cover will become wet during the day and freeze at night, stabilizing slowly this way. However, since distinctly sunny weather is not expected at the end of the week, the sun's influence will be smaller and therefore no major destabilization of the snow cover on sun-exposed slopes during the day. No spontaneous avalanching expected in general, except some small slides from steep slopes.



Next report will be published on Monday, 2.3.2015.



Source: ARSO