Snow conditions in the mountains 10.2.2017

General danger level - Friday, 10. 2. 2017

Danger is level 3 on the European five-level scale - CONSIDERABLE.

Main problem: wind slab

Danger pattern: Cold weather, fresh snow not bonded with wind



Risk assessment

Avalanche danger is mainly in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks above about 1400 m CONSIDERABLE, level 3. Lower down there is less snow, so danger is MODERATE, level 2. Particularly dangerous are steep slopes and places with wind-deposited snow. There is no more widespread spontaneous avalanching. The snowpack is potentially unstable due to low temperatures and wind slab, as even with minor loading of the snowpack you can trigger a slab avalanche.



Snow conditions

There have been no new precipitations since Wednesday. Temperature has been below zero all the time, predominantly cloudy and foggy weather prevailed, only in the western Julian Alps there was some sun. The snowpack has only slowly transformed and settled. Under the new snow, there is locally a partly icy layer, due to which the upper snow layer is poorly bonded to the base. Stronger wind blew mainly in the Bovec area, where on exposed sites the east wind almost completely blew away the new snow. Otherwise, the snowpack is mostly soft, only the wind has locally made a crust that does not hold human weight.



Forecast weather development

Until Monday, cloudy and foggy weather will prevail in most of our mountains. Tomorrow, Saturday, the top of the clouds will descend and in the afternoon or evening it will be at about 2000 m above sea level, where the top will also be on Sunday. Temperature will mostly be below zero or, up to about 1500 m above sea level, around 0 or just below 0 degrees C. Today there will be mostly light south to southeast wind, tomorrow and Sunday southwest wind.



Trend of snow conditions

Today the snowpack will settle only slowly due to cloudiness and low temperature and will hardly transform. On Saturday afternoon and Sunday, the sun on sun-exposed slopes of the high mountains will somewhat accelerate the transformation and formation of a thin crust. The wind will mostly be light, so we do not expect new larger wind slabs. Avalanche danger will slowly decrease, the snowpack will remain mainly potentially unstable due to wind slab. With loading of the snowpack, a slab avalanche can be triggered on a weak layer in the snowpack.



Next issue: Monday, 13. 2. 2017



Source: ARSO