Snow conditions in the mountains 24.4.2017

General avalanche danger level - Monday, 24. 4. 2017

Danger is level 1 on the European five-level scale - LOW.

Main problem: favorable conditions, new snow

Danger pattern: Spring situation

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after cold



Risk assessment

Avalanche danger is LOW, level 1. The snowpack is mostly stable, only in places with wind-packed snow, especially on southern sides of ridges, there is still some slabs in places.



Snow conditions

In the past few days, it warmed up slightly in the mountains, but the freezing level did not exceed 1800 m above sea level. In sunny weather, the snow that fell mid-week settled and transformed, and lower down also melted. On Sunday, around 5 cm of snow fell in places and it cooled slightly. Snow is quite variable locally. On old, hard and sometimes icy base there is some new snow, which is mostly crusty, only in shady spots it is still soft. Quite a bit is drifted into wind slabs.



Forecast weather development

Today moderately to mostly cloudy and occasionally foggy. Less cloudiness in the eastern part of our mountains. Moderate southwest wind blowing. 0 degrees in the afternoon at about 2100 m above sea level. Even warmer tomorrow, when the freezing level rises to about 2500 m above sea level. Southwest wind will strengthen somewhat. Minor precipitation will occur today in the hills of Notranjska, northern Primorska and western Julijci, tomorrow possibly up to Kamnik Alps. On Wednesday, precipitation will intensify in the west. Quite strong southwest wind blowing. Snow level will rise and in the afternoon at about 2100 m above sea level. On Thursday cloudy and foggy with precipitation. Snow level at about 1900 m above sea level. Overnight to Friday, with influx of colder air, it will descend and at the end of precipitation it will probably be possible to snow down to about 500 m above sea level. By Friday morning above about 1900 m, 20 up to more than 50 cm of snow can fall, more especially in Julian Alps.



Trend in snow conditions

Today and tomorrow snow will melt during the day, but freeze at night above about 2000 m above sea level. On Wednesday in the western and central part of our mountains above 2100 m some snow will already have fallen, the most on Thursday. Southwest wind will drift new snow into slabs, so areas of wind-packed snow will form on northern and eastern sides of ridges. From steep slopes, slabs of new, poorly bonded snow will already release with snowfall. Therefore, avalanche danger will probably increase to level 3 in the high mountains. With cooling, it will snow lower too, but there will be much less snow there and it will fall on bare ground, so no increased avalanche danger there.



Next issue: Friday, 28. 4. 2017



Source: ARSO