Snow conditions 29. 1. 2024

General danger level - Monday, 29. 1. 2024
Danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem: drifted snow, wet snow
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger above about 1800 m elevation is MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1. Due to warming, individual wet snow avalanches may release on steep south-facing slopes. Dangerous are also the still rare spots with drifted snow in areas where the snow is not yet transformed. There, under greater load, you can trigger a dry slab avalanche. Numerous areas are hard and icy, hence high risk of slipping.

Snow conditions
On south-facing slopes, the snow has daily melted and refrozen at night, on pronounced south aspects increasingly more bare patches. The snowpack is already largely transformed. In shaded spots, the snow is crusted and mostly penetrates. Wind-exposed spots are hard and frozen, in places scoured to the ground or to the old, hard base. In places, old slabs are still present, which are mostly well bonded to the base.

Forecast weather development
This week, the period of dry weather will continue. Temperatures will be above average for this time of year. Today, Monday, clear with some afternoon fair-weather cloudiness. Light wind of variable direction. Temperature at 1500 m around 4 °C, at 2500 m around 1 °C. Tomorrow, Tuesday, mostly clear with some fair-weather cloudiness. Light wind mostly from south and west directions. Temperature at 1500 m around 5 °C, at 2500 m around 2 °C. On Wednesday and Thursday partly clear with occasional increased mid- and high-level cloudiness.

Trend in snow conditions
The snowpack will continue to stabilise, this process will be more pronounced on south-facing areas (in shaded spots, the snowpack state will not change markedly). During the day it will melt, at night freeze. On south aspects, especially on steep grassy slopes, some wet snow avalanche may still be triggered, but gradually there will be fewer. In the high mountains, the main danger will be areas of drifted snow especially near ridges and in gullies where the wind has deposited snow. Under greater load, a slab avalanche may release there.

Next issue: Thursday, 1. 2. 2024

Source: ARSO