8.01.2014
On Monday and Tuesday, the weather in the mountains was quite warm, with little sunshine. The freezing level has risen above the highest peaks. Snow conditions are locally quite varied. The snow cover thins during the day and freezes at night higher up, above the cloud layer.
Only in the gullies of the high mountains does the snow remain mostly dry; lower down it is mostly wet. Due to positive temperatures, it also transforms, settles, and stabilizes somewhat faster. Some crust has also formed due to wind.
The most snow is in the high mountains of the Julian Alps, up to about 250 cm, in higher parts of the Karawanks and Kamnik-Savinja Alps locally about 130 cm. At 1500 m in the Julians up to about 100 cm, elsewhere much less. Significant snow cover starts at about 1300 m elevation. On wind-exposed sites, the snow is quite wind-packed.
Avalanche danger is in the high mountains, above about 2000 m, 3rd degree, elsewhere 1st to 2nd degree, depending on the amount of snow.
Spontaneous avalanching is mostly not expected, only on sun-exposed slopes are small sloughs from steep slopes possible around noon and early afternoon. However, you can trigger an avalanche yourself in the high mountains and on steeper slopes and in areas with wind-deposited snow even with minor additional loading of the snowpack. Lower down, the snowpack is more stable.
Dry and relatively warm weather will continue. There will also be quite a bit of sunny weather, with mostly cumulus cloudiness.
The freezing level will be above the highest peaks. Cooling will start on the night of Friday.
The snow cover will continue to settle and slowly stabilize, so avalanche danger in the high mountains will also slowly decrease until Friday, and the cooling will further consolidate the snow.
The next snowpack report will be issued on Friday, 10.1.2014.
General avalanche danger is 3rd degree on the European five-level scale.
Snow depth:
205 cm Kredarica (2515 m)
100 cm Vogel (1540 m)
13 cm Krvavec (1740 m)
Source: ARSO