Snow conditions in the mountains 22.2.2013

On Wednesday and Thursday it was mostly cloudy with occasional light snowfall. It snowed more heavily during the night into Friday. 10 to over 20 cm of dry snow fell. Especially on sun-exposed slopes and on wind-exposed locations, snow fell onto a crusty and hard base, so the snow did not bond well to the base there.

The northeast wind created drifts mainly on exposed locations. It was cold, so the snow hardly settled and transformed.

The snow cover reaches the valleys. At 2500 m in the Julians there is about 330 cm of snow, at 1500 m 240 cm, even in the foothills at 1000 m about 130 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m there is 90 to 120 cm of snow, at 1000 m about 80 cm.

The snow cover is mostly soft and powdery, under the new snow there is a crust that bears human weight in places. On wind-exposed locations the snow cover is wind-packed. Extensive areas of drifted snow. Cornices on ridges.

Avalanche danger has increased to 3rd degree especially above the tree line and on steep slopes of mid-mountains and hills in central and southern Slovenia. Elsewhere it is mostly 2nd degree. On sufficiently steep slopes, a dry snow avalanche can be triggered by a small load, especially places with drifted snow are dangerous. Smaller and medium-sized spontaneous avalanches are also expected on sufficiently steep slopes.

Today it will be mostly dry during the day, but snowfall will resume tonight into Saturday with 5 to about 10 cm of dry snow. After dry weather on Saturday, snowfall will intensify again tomorrow evening and into the night to Sunday. By Sunday morning 20 to 40 cm of snow will fall. There will be no strong wind, so drifts will form only on wind-exposed locations. Avalanche danger will increase slightly but is expected to remain at 3rd degree.

New report will be issued on Sunday, 24.2.2013



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



Source: ARSO