Snow conditions 29.2.2012

Sunny weather continues. It has warmed up considerably. Yesterday the snow line already rose above 1500 m, by this morning even above 2500 m. Today a strong, occasionally stormy north wind is blowing, transporting snow and creating wind slabs on the southern sides of ridges. The air is dry, so snow remains mostly dry in shady spots despite positive temperatures. In the past days the snowpack has transformed mainly on sun-exposed slopes, where a surface crust has strengthened.

The snowpack is mostly covered with a crust that mostly does not bear human weight. Only occasionally in gullies is the snow still soft.

There is a lot of wind-blown snow.

Significant snowpack extends in gullies mostly to elevations around 800 m a.s.l., on sun-exposed slopes it is bare much higher in many places. At 1500 m a.s.l. in the Julian Alps there is up to about 90 cm of snow, elsewhere up to about 60 cm.

Above 2000 m in the Julian Alps up to about 130 cm of snow. Avalanche danger is mostly level 1, level 2 mainly in the high mountains above about 1800 m. Steeper slopes are dangerous, especially spots with wind-blown snow that can release with greater additional stress. The snowpack on sun-exposed mid-mountain slopes softens and destabilizes somewhat during the day. No spontaneous releasing expected. On wind-scoured spots there is danger of slips.

It will be quite warm until Friday. The snowpack will transform and settle and thus slowly stabilize even in gullies. Late morning and afternoon snow on sun-exposed slopes will soften, at night it will refreeze. Surface crust will strengthen. In lower elevations snow will not refreeze even at night.

New report will be issued on Friday, 2.3.2012.



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



Source: ARSO