Snow conditions in the mountains 24.12.2010

From midweek, the mountains have mostly had cloudy and foggy weather with occasional precipitation. It was drier in the eastern part of our mountains. The most precipitation fell in the Julian Alps and their foothills as well as in the Snežnik area. The snow line was above 1800 m. Higher up in the Julians and western Karawanks, 30 to about 70 cm of snow fell, more in the Julians, elsewhere much less precipitation.

Lower down it rained and the snow settled and melted. In the mid-mountains, it is bare in many places. By this morning, the snow line had already dropped below 1500 m.

In the Julian Alps at 2500 m there is up to about 390 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 100 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m up to about 30 cm of snow. Lower down, snow quickly diminishes. The snow cover above about 1900 m is soft and loose, there are plenty of wind slabs and slabs formed by the southwest wind on the eastern and northern sides of ridges and passes. Lower down the snow is wet, in many places all new snow has settled and only older, considerably transformed and locally hard snow remains.

Avalanche danger is currently level 3, higher due to new snow, lower due to wet snow cover which is saturated to the ground in many places. On steeper slopes and places with wind-packed snow, small and medium-sized avalanches of partially bonded snow can be triggered under additional stress. Due to rain, below about 1600 m on steep grassy slopes, wet snow slab avalanches can also release.

Today and tomorrow there will still be precipitation, but mostly dry in the east today. The snow line will drop a little more today, quite low on Saturday night and during the day on Saturday, when there will no longer be much precipitation. In the Julians and western Karawanks another 20 to 40 cm of snow will fall, elsewhere about 10 cm. After cooling on Saturday the snow will freeze and some powder will fall on that base. Avalanche danger will remain increased above about 1800 m altitude, lower it will decrease.

Northeast wind will form wind slabs.

The next report will be issued on Monday, 27 December.



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



Source: ARSO