Snow conditions in the mountains 22.4.2013

At the end of the week, there was some cloud cover in the mountains, but the sun also shone through it. It cooled slightly. The freezing level was at about 2600 m above sea level. The snowpack settled and melted, with individual sluffs of softened snow still sliding from steep slopes. At night, snow froze only in the high mountains. Local precipitation mainly moistened the snow. Until this morning, it cooled a bit more, and the freezing level is currently around 2300 m. Due to the cooling, the snowpack in the high mountains has stabilized somewhat.

At 2500 m in the Julian Alps there is up to about 380 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to 210 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains, there is 30 to 60 cm of snow at 1500 m. There is more snow in northern aspects, while southern slopes are bare even above 1200 m above sea level.

The snowpack is mostly softened, only in the high mountains is it frozen and therefore hard. The snow is relatively well transformed, but in places there are a few centimeters of fresh snow on the surface.

Avalanche danger is mostly level 2. An avalanche can be triggered by a greater additional load on steeper slopes and at places with wind-blown snow. Slabs can also collapse. Lower down, individual wet snow slab avalanches can still release from steep slopes.

Today it will be cloudy and foggy with occasional precipitation. The snow line will be at about 1900 m above sea level. Lower down, rain will further moisten the snowpack, while higher up up to about 10 cm of snow may fall. On Tuesday there will be some sun and occasional showers. Avalanche conditions will not change much until mid-morning on Wednesday.



A new report will be issued on Wednesday, 24.4.2013 in the morning.



General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO