Snow conditions in the mountains 24.2.2013

Cloudy weather with occasional snowfall continues. From Friday morning onwards, 40 to nearly 80 cm of snow has fallen in the mountains. It was mostly dry and the wind drifted it into slabs. Numerous slabs and also cornices formed even in the mid-mountains and hills of Notranjska and northern Primorska. Snow fell on a soft and loose base, only on wind-exposed locations on wind-packed and mostly hard base. From steep slopes, dry, non-cohesive snow avalanches released during snowfall. There is quite a lot of snow. At 2500 m in the Julian Alps there is around 350 cm of snow, at 1500 m 270 cm and at 1000 m around 160 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains, snow depth at 1500 m is from 120 to 160 cm, at 1000 m around 120 cm.

The snow cover is mostly soft and loose and sinks deeply. Only at wind-exposed spots it is wind-packed and hard.

Extensive areas of wind-blown snow. Numerous cornices on ridges.

Avalanche danger has increased to 4th level especially above the treeline in the Julian Alps and western Karawanks. Elsewhere it is 3rd level, also in mid-mountains and on steep, bare slopes in the hills of western Slovenia. On sufficiently steep slopes, a dry snow avalanche can already be triggered by a small load, especially dangerous are spots with wind slab. We also expect numerous small and medium-sized spontaneous avalanches on sufficiently steep slopes.

Today snowfall will weaken. By evening, another 5 to around 10 cm of snow may fall. Except in the high mountains, the wind will not be strong, but in the high mountains a moderate south wind will form new slabs and cornices on the northern sides of ridges. Tomorrow sunny, the freezing level will rise to around 1200 m a.s.l. Snow will settle, especially on sun-facing slopes it will also crust and bond together. Precisely because of slightly higher temperatures and sunny weather, we expect somewhat more frequent sliding especially on steeper sun-facing slopes around noon and in the afternoon. On Tuesday it will cool slightly and there will be more clouds, so daytime warming will no longer affect the destabilization of the snow cover as much. The freezing level will drop below 1000 m, so the snow cover will be slightly less unstable. Light snowfall on Tuesday during the day and in the night to Wednesday will not affect avalanche conditions.

New report will be issued on Wednesday, 27.2.2013



General avalanche danger is high, i.e. 4th degree on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO