Snow conditions in the mountains 19.4.2013

From Monday until today, sunny weather has prevailed in the mountains. The snowline has risen above our highest peaks. Snow has settled and melted rapidly, and it froze only at night in the high mountains. Small avalanches of softened snow have still been sliding from steep slopes. .

At 2500 m in the Julian Alps there is up to about 390 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to 230 cm and at 1000 m from 10 to 40 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains there is snow at 1500 m from 50 to 80 cm, at 1000 m up to about 10 cm. There is more snow in the gullies, while southern slopes are bare even above 1000 m above sea level.

The snow cover is mostly softened, only in the high mountains it froze in the morning. Today with increased cloud cover it did not freeze even in the high mountains. The snow is mostly well metamorphosed.

The avalanche danger is currently still mostly 2nd degree. You can trigger a snow avalanche with greater additional loading on steeper slopes and on places with windpacked snow. Cornices can also collapse.

Conditions will change rapidly today. Especially in the Julian Alps and the western Karawanks, with precipitation the snow cover will become unstable again, and the avalanche danger will increase. The snow line will be above 2500 m, in the evening it will drop below 2200 m. Some snow will fall higher up, which is not expected to significantly increase the possibility of sliding. Primarily, sliding of rain-soaked snow from steep slopes is expected. On Saturday and Sunday it will be somewhat colder, the snowline will be at about 2200 m above sea level.

Higher up the snow cover will become more stable, lower down the conditions will not change much compared to today.



A new report will be issued on Monday, 22.4.2013 in the morning.



The general avalanche danger is considerable, i.e. 3rd degree on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO