4.04.2014
In sunny weather the snowpack transforms and settles, lower down it melts. During the day the snow softens, at night it refreezes, except in lower elevations. In high-mountain gullies the snow is still mostly poorly transformed. Freezing level at about 2700 m a.s.l.
Significant snow cover reaches to about 1300 m a.s.l., in gullies to about 900 m. Snow depth is quite uneven. Above about 2000 m in the Julian Alps there is 400 to about 600 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 250 cm. Elsewhere at 1500 m 40 to 120 cm of snow, more in the western Karawanks. The snowpack is still poorly transformed in shady high-mountain locations, elsewhere mostly well transformed. At night and in the morning it is frozen and hard, during the day it mostly softens, only in shade it mostly remains frozen.
Avalanche danger is level 2, increasing during the day under the influence of the sun. Only at lower elevations it is level 1.
The snowpack is mostly stable. Risk increases especially towards noon and in the afternoon on sun-exposed slopes, where the snow softens and destabilises due to the sun. Steep slopes are more dangerous.
Even in shady high-mountain locations, especially at wind-packed snow spots, an avalanche can be triggered with significant additional stress. No spontaneous releasing is expected.
Today partly clear with occasional increased cloudiness. The sun will affect the stability of the snowpack during the day. Tomorrow cloudy and also foggy, with occasional light snowfall. Snowfall limit at elevation between 1900 and 2000 m a.s.l. Above this elevation 5 to about 15 cm of snow will fall. It will probably not bond well with the base, so new snow may slide on steep slopes.
Lower down there will be light rain, which will additionally wet the snowpack.
It will cool somewhat, freezing level at about 2400 m a.s.l. Below about 2000 m individual wet-snow avalanches may release from steep slopes. On Sunday there will be less cloudiness, so the sun will again affect the stability of the snowpack during the day.
The next snowpack report will be issued on Monday, 7.4.2014 in the morning.
General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.
Source: ARSO