Snow conditions 3. 4. 2025

General danger level - Thursday, 3. 4. 2025
Danger is level 3 on the European five-level scale - CONSIDERABLE.
Main problem: weak layers, wind slab, wet snow
Danger pattern: Spring situation
Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / thawing after frost

Risk assessment
Avalanche release danger above about 1900 m elevation is MODERATE, level 2, lower down LOW, level 1. During the day on sun-exposed aspects under the influence of the sun, snow softens and avalanche danger INCREASES! Particularly dangerous are steeper south-facing slopes, where from late morning to late afternoon a wet snow avalanche may release, and there slab avalanches can also be triggered more easily. In shaded aspects this daily cycle is almost undetectable. Deeper in the snowpack weak layers persist, which can increase the chance of an avalanche especially on south-facing slopes and with heavy snowpack loading - in that case a medium-sized or larger avalanche with a deeper slab layer can be triggered.

Snow conditions
Dry and fairly cloudy weather prevailed, only today more sun in the mountains. Moderate, initially also strong north to northeast wind blew, transporting fresh snow into wind slabs in the high mountains. On south-facing slopes snow softened during the day today, below around 1800 m already in previous days, so a crust formed there. In shaded aspects snow is soft, only in mid-mountains crusted even in shade. Many cornices and wind slabs.

Expected weather development
Today, Thursday, sunny. Weak northeast wind. Zero isotherm at around 1900 m elevation. Also tomorrow and Saturday mostly sunny with weak northeast wind. Gradually warmer, Saturday zero isotherm at the height of our highest peaks. Sunday night with passage of pronounced cold front strong cooling. Almost no precipitation, but reinforced wind from northern directions. At 1500 m temperature around -8 °C. Then dry and cold in mountains for a few days.

Trend of snow conditions
Until Saturday inclusive, pronounced spring weather, snow and avalanche conditions in the mountains. Snowpack will settle and transform, melt lower down. On south-facing slopes snow will soften during the day and freeze at night, crust will strengthen. This process will reach high mountains by Saturday. From steep south-facing slopes from mid-morning onwards small wet snow avalanches may release, also increasing the possibility that mountain visitors trigger an avalanche, especially at places with wind slab. On north-facing slopes this process less pronounced, but crust may form eventually. Typical therefore DAILY CYCLE of avalanche conditions, snow more stable in the morning and early forenoon and in shaded aspects, where deeper weak layers may persist that could under heavy snowpack loading allow snow to slab. With Sunday cooling snow will freeze and stabilize, avalanche danger will DECREASE, slipperiness danger will INCREASE.

Next publication: Friday, 4. 4. 2025

Source: ARSO