8.03.2022
General hazard level - Monday, 7 March 2022
Hazard is level 1 on the European five-level scale - LOW.
Main problem: weak layers, wind slab
Hazard pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after frost
Risk assessment
Avalanche danger is mostly LOW, level 1. More dangerous are areas with wind slab, mainly on southern and western slopes. Be particularly careful in gullies where larger amounts of wind slab can accumulate and at transitions from thicker to thinner snow cover. A small avalanche can be triggered at rare spots with minor loading, but mostly requires large loading. Wind-exposed locations are heavily scoured. The snowpack is icy in places, with considerable risk of gliding.
Snow conditions
At the end of the week, due to cold and mostly cloudy weather, the snowpack did not change significantly. During the day, the zero isotherm was below 1000 m above sea level. Snow fell lightly from time to time, with a few centimetres of fresh snow in the high mountains. A light to moderate northerly to northeasterly wind blew, creating only small snow deposits. Snow is mostly hard and crusted. In shady and sheltered areas, there is up to 20 cm of soft wind slab in places. The snowpack in the mountains is significantly thinner than the long-term average for this time. In the high mountains, there is about 1 m less snow, in the mid-mountains about 0.5 m. The snow depth is very uneven. Wind-exposed locations are heavily scoured, even to the ground. Due to pronounced nighttime cooling of the snowpack, surface hoar has begun to form.
Forecast weather development
Today during the day, it will be variable to mostly cloudy in the mountains, with some slopes and summits in clouds. A light to moderate northeasterly wind will blow. It will still be cold. Temperature at 1500 m around -7, at 2500 m around -12 °C. On Tuesday, mostly clear especially in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks, elsewhere still variable to mostly cloudy. A moderate northeasterly wind will blow. A degree warmer. On Wednesday, dry weather will continue. Mostly clear with some mid- and high-level clouds. A light to moderate northerly wind will still blow. It will warm up noticeably. Air temperature at midday at 1500 m from -2 to +1, at 2500 m around -8 °C. Until the end of the week, dry weather with considerable clear skies is expected. From Friday onwards, colder again.
Trend in snow conditions
Today and tomorrow, with cold and windy weather, snow conditions will not change much. Snow will remain hard and frozen. We expect more wind on Tuesday night, which may create some small snow deposits. On Wednesday during the day, on sun-exposed slopes the snowpack surface will soften slightly during the day, in more shady areas conditions will remain unchanged. The snowpack will be stable, only caution needed at wind slab areas. Considerable gliding risk will remain. Next avalanche bulletin on Wednesday, 9.3.2022.
Next issue: Wednesday, 9 March 2022
Source: ARSO