Snow conditions in the mountains 24.3.2017

General avalanche danger level - Friday, 24. 3. 2017

Danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale - MODERATE.

Main problem: wet snow

Danger pattern: Spring situation



Risk assessment

Avalanche danger today above sea level around 1700 m is MODERATE, level 2, lower down mostly LOW, level 1. Especially dangerous are steep slopes and places with wind-packed snow on all aspects of ridges. Also possible are individual small spontaneous avalanches of wet snow, on steeper slopes at lower elevations possible ground avalanches of wet snow.



Snow conditions

Snow is, except in gullies of the high mountains, already quite well transformed. The snowpack is mostly frozen and hard in the morning, but during the day it softens especially on sun-exposed aspects. The freezing level today is at sea level around 2900 m. The depth of the snowpack is very uneven especially in the high mountains, on wind-exposed sites it is bare in places.



Forecast weather development

Today sunny with some high cloudiness. Weak to moderate southwest wind blowing. Tomorrow morning there may be some cloudiness, some peaks may temporarily be in clouds, but it will clear up quite quickly in the forenoon and during the day it will be mostly clear. Weak wind from south to southeast direction, in the high mountains westerly. It will be slightly cooler especially in the eastern part of our mountains. On Sunday it will become cloudy, midday and afternoon occasional light precipitation, in the eastern Karawanks and on Pohorje mostly dry. It will cool down, the snow line will drop to sea level around 800 m. Up to around 5 cm of snow possible. In the afternoon it will slowly clear from the east. On Monday mostly clear, the freezing level in the morning at sea level around 1100 m, in the evening already around 1900 m.



Tendency of snow conditions

The snowpack is relatively stable, but due to high temperatures it becomes somewhat labile during the day especially under the influence of the sun on sunny aspects. At night it freezes and is hard in the morning and sometimes icy. This will be the case today and tomorrow. On Sunday, due to more cloudy weather and cooling, the snow will remain relatively stable. There will be too little precipitation to increase the avalanche danger. On Monday it will be cooler than today and tomorrow, but in sunny weather the snow on sun-facing slopes will soften during the day, in the shade it will remain frozen or dry especially in the high mountains.



Next issue: Monday, 27. 3. 2017



Source: ARSO