Snow conditions 5.12.2022

General avalanche danger level - Monday, 5 December 2022
The danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem: wind slab, wet snow, new snow
Danger pattern: cooling after warm weather / warming after frost
Danger pattern: rain

Risk assessment
The avalanche danger is above about 1900 m above sea level MODERATE, level 2, lower down mostly LOW, level 1. Due to the greater amount of new snow, spontaneous small to medium-sized dry snow avalanches are possible today and tomorrow in the high mountains. There is also considerable danger of slab avalanches, which are located on both northern and eastern slopes. In the mid-mountains there is less snow, it has already settled, so the danger there is decreasing. Nevertheless, small wet snow avalanches can be triggered today, especially on steep grassy slopes.

Snow conditions
At the end of the week, it was mostly snowing in the mountains, occasionally rain also fell, which froze in many places. Overnight to Monday, it warmed up. The zero isotherm rose to an altitude of about 1900 m. At the same time, new precipitation reached us, the snow line is currently at altitudes from 1500 to 1900 m, lower it is snowing in the area of the central and eastern Julian Alps. From Friday to Monday morning, almost 0.5 m of snow fell in the high Julian Alps, elsewhere the snow cover thickened by only about 10 cm, as wet snow fell or it even rained. During the snowfall, a strengthened southerly wind was blowing, which on Monday turned to the southwest direction. In the high mountains, the snow is dry, there are many snow drifts, slabs and also cornices. On exposed locations, the snow cover is covered with a crust of hard rime. Below about 2000 m altitude, the snow is increasingly southern (wet), in the mid-mountains it is also settling and melting. In places, a more or less pronounced ice crust is present.

Forecast weather development
Today it will be cloudy and foggy, in the high mountains it will snow more heavily, in the mid-mountains rain or rain with snow will fall. Overnight to Tuesday, the snow line will drop below 1500 m altitude, at the same time the precipitation will quickly weaken and cease. In the high mountains, a total of 20 to 40 cm of snow is expected, the most in the area of the Julian Alps, in the mid-mountains probably only 5 to 10 cm. It will also be quite windy in the high mountains, a moderate southwesterly will blow, which will transport snow and build new snow deposits. On Tuesday morning, the weather will quickly calm down, it will clear up already in the morning, during the day it will be mostly clear. Mostly a weak northwesterly will blow. Temperature at 1500 m around 0, at 2500 m around -5 °C. Also on Wednesday it will be mostly clear, a weak westerly will blow. Temperature will be similar. On Thursday, cloudiness will increase, summits will often be in fog, temporarily slightly cooler. On Friday and at the end of the week, a more pronounced deterioration of the weather is indicated. The snow line will initially be high.

Tendency of snow conditions
After today's snowfall, the snow and avalanche conditions will not change much until Thursday inclusive. Where the snow has settled, it will start freezing again, icy surfaces will increase. With mostly clear weather, surface hoar can also form. The avalanche danger in the high mountains will remain MODERATE, level 2, dangerous especially places with wind-blown snow. In the mid-mountains, however, the snow will become stable with cooling. A more pronounced change in conditions is expected from Friday onwards.

Next issue: Friday, 9 December 2022

Source: ARSO