Snow conditions 3. 2. 2025

General danger level - Monday, 3. 2. 2025
Danger is level 2 on the European 5-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem: drifted snow
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / thawing after cold

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger above sea level around 2500 m is MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1. Steeper slopes with drifted snow are especially dangerous, where greater load can trigger a slab avalanche. Snow drifts are mainly on northern and eastern sides of ridges and passes and in gullies. Wind-exposed locations are scoured, below around 2500 m snow there is refrozen and icy, without appropriate equipment slip risk is high. Below around 2500 m snowpack is mostly stable, only in lee areas occasional small snow accumulations which on steep slopes under load can release and cause fall or slide on hard base.

Snow conditions
After turbulent events last week snowpack now transforms more slowly. Moist snow layer below 2500 m thoroughly refrozen and withstands heavy loads - even in drifts and very steep slopes. On highest summits such hard layers probably absent, thus there under high load especially in drifts can still overload some weak spot deeper in snowpack. Saturday night and Saturday morning up to 15 cm dry snow fell, which has no influence on avalanche danger except fresh steep drifts formed on refrozen base. There under high load small slab avalanche can release. In sunny weather crusting occurred on sun-exposed slopes, which Sunday during day reached highest summits. Crust thickness on snowpack surface depends on elevation, aspect and slope angle. In shade snow remains powdery without surface crust.

Forecast weather development
Today, Monday, high mountains clear, moderate northerly wind, lower cloudy with moderate northeasterly. On coastal side of alpine-dinaric barrier no low cloud. At 1500 m temperature slightly below freezing, at 2000 m around -3 °C. Similar weather continues to end of week; Tuesday afternoon northeasterly weakens, so Wednesday sunny also in mid-mountains. Then warmer, zero isotherm at 2500 m height.

Trend of snow conditions
To end of week snowpack slowly transforms, on sun-exposed high mountains crust strengthens, elsewhere snow remains powdery. Snowpack stability remains similar.

Next bulletin: Thursday, 6. 2. 2025

Source: ARSO