Snow conditions 6.12.2013

A week of dry and sunny weather is behind us. In the higher elevations, it has gradually warmed up. On southern slopes, the snow has sintered and frozen overnight, a surface crust has formed and strengthened. In shady locations and in the high mountains, the snow has remained mostly dry and poorly transformed.

In the high mountains of the Julian Alps, there is 90 to about 130 cm of snow, at 1500 m, also elsewhere in our mountains, up to about 50 cm.

There are many wind slabs and smaller loose snow avalanches, on wind-exposed locations the snow is heavily wind-scoured in places, even down to bare ground. Significant snow cover reaches to about 1100 m above sea level, especially in the Julian Alps even a bit lower. The snow is dry, especially in sunny locations and at lower elevations crusty and due to wind icy in places. Avalanche danger is 2 in the high mountains, below about 1800 m 1. Especially dangerous are areas with wind-deposited snow and steep slopes, particularly in gullies. Spontaneous avalanching is not expected, but at critical spots you can trigger snow avalanches of mostly smaller sizes quite quickly.

Dry weather will continue at the end of the week, cloudier especially on Sunday and Monday. The freezing level will drop below 1000 m today, on Sunday warmer air will arrive and the freezing level will be at about 1300 m and on Monday above 2000 m. Especially today and tomorrow, Saturday, an occasionally strong northerly to northwesterly wind will blow.

The snowpack will transform only slowly, the wind will strengthen the surface crust.

Avalanche danger will not change.

The next report on the snowpack situation will be published on Tuesday, 10.12.2013.



General avalanche danger is 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO