Snow Conditions in the Mountains 10.1.2011

Dry and relatively warm weather prevailed. The freezing level was at an altitude between 1800 and 2100 m. There were occasional precipitations mainly in the area of the Julian Alps, western Karavanks and western Savinja Alps, as well as the hills of northern Primorska and Notranjska, with the snow line above 1600 m. Higher up, a few centimeters of snow fell, while lower down the snow was melting. The southwest wind carried snow in some places in the high mountains, but there are no major new drifts.

In the Julian Alps, there is up to about 360 cm of snow at 2500 m, and up to about 90 cm at 1500 m. Elsewhere in our mountains, there is up to 20 cm of snow at 1500 m. Lower down, there is really little, in many places it is bare ground even up to 1500 m. In the high mountains, the snow is crusted and covered with a few centimeters of dry snow. In some places, this snow is blown into a thicker layer, while in wind-exposed places it is completely blown away to a partially iced crust. Below about 1600 m, the snow is soggy.

The avalanche danger is level 2 in the high mountains, above about 2000 m. An avalanche can be triggered by greater additional load, especially in places with blown snow and on steeper slopes.

Lower down, the danger is level 1. Especially in blown places, there is a risk of slips.

Today and tomorrow it will still be cloudy and foggy with occasional precipitations. The snow line will be between 1200 and 1500 m today, dropping to about 800 m by tomorrow morning and then rising slightly again during the day. The most precipitation will be in the Julian Alps and in the hills of Notranjska and northern Primorska. Here, 5 to about 30 cm of snow will fall, depending mainly on altitude.

Elsewhere there will be less precipitation, up to about 15 cm above 1500 m. Precipitations will gradually cease tomorrow, latest in the western Julian Alps. The freezing level will be at about 1600 m tomorrow, and at about 1400 m on Wednesday morning.

Due to new snow, the avalanche danger will increase slightly above 1800 m, but not lower.

The next report will be issued on Wednesday, January 12.



The general avalanche danger is moderate, i.e., level 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO