Snow conditions 28.2.2014

In recent days, it has been variably cloudy in the mountains. Yesterday, 5 to 10 cm of snow fell in some places. The snow line was at an elevation of around 1500 m, and by today it has dropped to around 1200 m.

The snowpack has settled and transformed. Due to solar influence, it softened during the day, froze at night, and a crust formed on the surface.



The snow cover mostly reaches to an elevation of around 700 m.

Snow depth is particularly variable in the high mountains due to wind.

The most snow is above 1800 m in the western Julian Alps, where it exceeds 700 cm, elsewhere in the Julians up to around 530 cm, in the western and central Karawanks and Kamnik-Savinja Alps around 300 cm. At 1500 m, it is up to around 330 cm in the Julians and western Karawanks, elsewhere 100 to 150 cm. The snow is mostly covered with a crust that still breaks under human weight, with a few to 10 cm of soft snow on top of this crust. Especially in high mountain gullies, the snow is mostly soft. There is a lot of wind-blown snow and slabs. On wind-exposed spots, the snow is heavily scoured.

The avalanche danger is mostly level 2.

The snowpack has stabilized quite well. No spontaneous avalanching is expected. In the high mountains, you can trigger an avalanche mainly with a large load on the snowpack.

Steep slopes and areas with wind-blown snow are particularly dangerous.



Today and over the weekend, cloudy weather will prevail in the mountains, with some sunshine today and initially tomorrow only in the eastern Karawanks and on Pohorje. Occasional light precipitation will occur mainly in the Julians and in the hills of northern Primorska and Notranjska, tomorrow afternoon and on Sunday gradually more to the east. The amount of precipitation will be small, slightly more only in the west. There, 15 to around 30 cm of snow will fall by Sunday evening, elsewhere 5 to 15 cm. The snow line will be between 800 and 1100 m, on Sunday between 600 and 900 m. On Saturday and Sunday, a moderate easterly wind will blow, transporting snow and forming new drifts on wind-exposed terrain. The avalanche risk will slightly increase on Sunday in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks.

The next snowpack report will be issued on Monday, 3.3.2014 in the morning.



General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European 5-level scale.



Source: ARSO