6.05.2016
General avalanche danger level - Friday, 6 May 2016
Danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem:
Danger pattern: vn10 Spring situation
Risk assessment
Avalanche danger in the mountains above about 2000 m above sea level is during midday and afternoon, when snow softens due to the influence of the sun, MODERATE, level 2. From evening to mid-morning it is LOW, level 1. The risk increases especially on sun-exposed slopes, where with greater additional loading, especially in places with wind-packed snow, you can trigger a snow slab avalanche.
Snow conditions
CONDITIONS in the mountains are winter-spring. Recent days have been variably cloudy without major precipitation. Locally in the high mountains above about 1900 m, a few cm of snow fell. The snowline was mostly at sea level altitude around 2000 m. In the Julian Alps at 2500 m there is from 260 to about 310 cm of snow, at 1500 m from 40 to about 90 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains from 10 to about 60 cm of snow. Continuous snow cover starts at quite varying heights. In the Julian Alps on shady slopes and on plateaus snow is also below 1400 m, on sun-exposed slopes above about 1700 m. Elsewhere on sun-exposed slopes it is mostly bare up to about 1900 m, in shady areas snow lies a little lower.
Forecast weather development
Until Monday, the weather will be quite similar from day to day. At night and partly in the morning it will be sunny, then patchy cloudiness will form, in the afternoon short-term local showers, possibly some thunderstorm. The amount of precipitation will of course be small and only local. The snowline today is at sea level altitude around 2000 m, but it will rise to about 2300 m by tomorrow, until Monday it will mostly be between 2300 and 2500 m.
Tendency of snow conditions
The snowpack will settle and transform. At night the snow will refreeze. Lower down the snow will melt. With daily warming, the top layer of snow will become less stable, slab avalanches can occur mainly only from the layer of snow that fell during the May Day holidays.
Next issue: Monday, 9 May 2016
Source: ARSO