Snow conditions in the mountains 20.2.2013
20.02.2013
On Monday and Tuesday it was dry and also cold in the mountains. Temperature was below zero. On Tuesday it cleared up temporarily, the sun softened the snow cover on sun-exposed slopes, which froze overnight. The snow slowly transformed and settled a bit more.
The snow cover reaches the valleys. At 2500 m in the Julian Alps up to around 290 cm of snow, at 1500 m 220 cm, also in the foothills at 1000 m up to around 100 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m 80 to 110 cm of snow, at 1000 m up to around 70 cm.
The snow cover is mostly covered with a crust that in many places does not bear human weight. Snow is soft only in sheltered, shady spots.
Snow conditions are very varied and change over relatively short distances. In wind-exposed spots the snow cover is heavily wind-packed and sometimes icy, extensive areas of drifted snow. On ridges there are cornices.
Avalanche danger has decreased slightly and is mostly level 2, below around 1000 m level 1. On sufficiently steep slopes with greater loading a slab of dry, cohesive snow can be triggered, especially dangerous are spots with drifted snow.
No spontaneous avalanching expected.
Today, on Thursday and in the night to Friday cloudy weather will prevail. Occasionally light snow, by Friday morning 10 to 25 cm will fall. Snow will be dry. Only in gullies and in sheltered northern spots it will bond well to the base, elsewhere worse because it will snow onto crust. Especially in the mid-mountains a moderate northeast to east wind will blow, transporting snow into wind slabs.
New slabs will be potentially unstable, therefore avalanche danger will increase slightly especially in the night to Friday.
New report will be issued on Friday, 22.2.2013
General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.
Source: ARSO