9.01.2015
Dry weather continues. Temperatures in the mountains were mostly below freezing, only yesterday it warmed up slightly at altitudes around 1000 m, this morning the freezing level was around 1900 m above sea level. In the high mountains and in the eastern part of our mountains there was some sun, but not much, and therefore solar radiation did not significantly affect the condition of the snowpack. The snow has slowly transformed mainly on sun-exposed slopes and at lower altitudes, where it has also slowly diminished.
At 2500 m altitude in the Julian Alps there is up to about 120 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 50 cm, elsewhere from 10 to about 30 cm. Due to the wind, the snowpack depth is quite uneven.
The snowpack is mostly crusty; in shady areas of the high mountains there are still areas where the snow is dry and sometimes loose. The snow is heavily wind-packed; on wind-exposed slopes it is scoured to the ground or to the old base. On wind-exposed slopes in the high mountains, the surface is icy in places. There is a lot of slabs or wind-blown snow.
Avalanche danger is mostly level 2 in the high mountains, lower down level 1.
The snowpack is mostly quite stable. It is potentially unstable mainly in places with wind-blown snow and on sufficiently steep slopes, especially on northern aspects. There, with greater load on the snowpack, you can trigger an avalanche. No spontaneous avalanching is expected. There is slip hazard in many places.
Today and tomorrow it will be even warmer, the freezing level will rise above the highest peaks already this evening. Tomorrow mostly sunny. The snowpack will settle and soften, only in shady areas of the high mountains it will remain mostly frozen or dry. The snow will settle a bit more, lower down it will diminish. On Sunday, initially with minor precipitation there will be rain quite high up, but the snow line will drop quickly with intensifying precipitation. By the end of precipitation late Sunday evening, 5 to about 15 cm of snow may fall on the hills, which the north wind will considerably redistribute. New wind slabs will form, avalanche risk will increase somewhat. Monday night will clear up, snow will freeze and especially on wind-exposed slopes there will be slip hazard.
Next report will be published on Monday, 12.1.2015.
General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.
Source: ARSO