4.03.2015
Avalanche danger is mostly level 2; lower, mostly below the forest line, level 1.
You can trigger an avalanche with greater load on the snow cover, especially on steeper slopes and at places with wind-blown snow.
The risk is still mainly due to poor bonding between the old, crusty and partially icy base and the upper layer of newer snow.
SNOW CONDITIONS
In the mountains it was lightly snowing on Monday, on Tuesday it was sunny. The southwester blew the new snow into drifts. The snow line was at about 1300 m above sea level. The snow cover was slowly transforming, on sunny slopes it was strengthening or a crust was forming.
The snow cover depth is quite uneven. At 2500 m above sea level in the Julian Alps there is snow up to about 210 cm, at 1500 m up to about 120 cm, at 1000 m from 20 to about 60 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains there is slightly less snow.
Significant snow cover extends mostly up to about 1000 m above sea level, in valleys and gullies even lower.
CURRENT STATE OF THE SNOW COVER
The snow cover is soft and sinks underfoot, in the mid-mountains it is frozen and hard at night and in the morning, on sun-facing slopes it softens during the day. Crust was forming and strengthening due to daytime warming and nighttime freezing on sun-facing slopes and on flat areas. There are many drifts and slabs, which are still relatively unstable especially in gullies. Ridges and wind-exposed areas are quite wind-packed and therefore hard and icy in places, even bare.
FORECAST WEATHER DEVELOPMENT
Today it will be mostly cloudy, light precipitation possible in the mountains, somewhat more pronounced in the hills of Notranjska and partly northern Primorska. In the afternoon a strong northerly or northeasterly wind will blow. The snow line is currently at about 1700 m above sea level. It will cool during the day and in the evening and tomorrow the snow line will be at about 900 m above sea level. Tomorrow, Thursday, it will be mostly cloudy and dry. A strong northerly to northeasterly wind will blow, still transporting snow into drifts mainly in the high mountains.
TENDENCY OF SNOW CONDITIONS
Avalanche danger will not change in most of our mountains, only due to strong wind new drifts will form mainly on the southern sides of ridges and passes. Due to cooling and more cloudy weather, the influence of the sun on snow cover transformation will be small.
Places with wind-blown snow on steeper slopes will remain more dangerous.
No spontaneous avalanching is expected.
The next report will be published on Friday, 6.3.2015.