Snow conditions in the mountains 13.3.2017

General avalanche danger level - Monday, 13. 3. 2017

The danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.

Main problem: weak layers

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after cold

Danger pattern: Spring situation



Risk assessment

The avalanche danger above sea level around 1800 m is MODERATE, level 2, lower down mostly LOW, level 1. Towards noon and in the afternoon, due to the influence of the sun on sun-exposed slopes, the snow cover will moisten and the top layer will become somewhat unstable. Steep slopes and places with wind-drifted snow on all sides of ridges are particularly dangerous, northern slopes are generally more dangerous where the snow is poorly metamorphosed. On wind-exposed sites, the snow cover is locally hard and partly icy, so there is a risk of slipping there.



Snow conditions

At the end of the week, there was sunny weather in the mountains. The snow line was on Saturday at around 1200 m above sea level, on Sunday and this morning a little below 1000 m above sea level. The snow cover is mostly crusty or refrozen and hard, in the gullies of the high mountains the snow is still soft in places. On wind-exposed locations it is strongly drifted, sometimes relatively hard due to wind. During the day it softens somewhat on southern slopes.



Forecast weather development

Sunny weather will prevail, with somewhat more cloudiness especially in the eastern part of our mountains. It will warm up a bit more, the snow line will rise this afternoon to sea level around 1400 m, tomorrow afternoon to around 1800 m, on Wednesday to around 2300 m above sea level. Tomorrow morning above around 1600 m a moderate northerly wind will begin to blow, which will strengthen somewhat in the high mountains tomorrow evening and weaken in the afternoon on Wednesday.



Trend of snow conditions

During the day the snow, except in the shade of the high mountains, will moisten and freeze at night. The crust will strengthen, in the gullies of the high mountains the snow may remain soft. In the morning and early afternoon hours the snow cover will be hard and partly icy in many places. The snow cover will be relatively stable, only midday and afternoon on sun-exposed slopes, and in shady locations of the high mountains, especially at sites with wind-drifted snow, potentially somewhat unstable. You may trigger a snow slab avalanche at these sites with greater additional load on the snow cover.



Next issue: Thursday, 16. 3. 2017



Source: ARSO