Snow Conditions in the Mountains 14.2.2013

From Tuesday, the weather was cloudy. On Wednesday and in the night to Thursday, it snowed. 5 to about 20 cm of snow fell, the least in the western and southern part of the Julian Alps. The snow was dry and light, and the northeast wind blew it into drifts on exposed locations. It snowed on a mostly light base, so the new snow mostly adhered well to the base. The snow cover settled only a little due to low temperature, transforming slowly.

The snow cover extends to the valleys. At 2500 m in the Julian Alps, there is up to about 300 cm of snow, at 1500 m 240 cm, even in the foothills at 1000 m up to 140 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains, there is 90 to 140 cm of snow at 1500 m, at 1000 m up to about 70 cm.

The snow cover is mostly light and unbound. Snow conditions very varied and change over relatively short distances. New snow covers extensive areas of old blown snow and in places hard, blown base, old cornices remain on the ridges.

The danger of snow avalanches did not increase due to yesterday's snowfall. Because the snow that fell at the beginning of the week has settled somewhat and adhered, the danger of snow avalanches has decreased somewhat and is now everywhere above the forest line level 3.

This level also applies to the mid-mountains and steep, bare slopes in places with thick snow cover. On sufficiently steep slopes, an avalanche of dry snow can be triggered even with a small load. In some places, spontaneous triggering of smaller avalanches is still possible. Places with blown snow are also dangerous.

Ahead of us is a period of dry weather. The temperature will be below zero in the hills and mountains all the time. The snow cover will slowly settle and transform, somewhat faster on sunny slopes.

On wind-exposed locations, the northeast and east wind will still transport snow into drifts. The snow cover will stabilize only slowly, so the danger of snow avalanches will remain mostly unchanged for a few more days. Klože will become increasingly potentially dangerous. In the hills, the snow will soften during the day and freeze at night, so it will stabilize faster.

A new report will be issued on Monday, 18.2.2013



The general avalanche danger is level 3 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO