Snow conditions in the mountains 27.2.2017

General danger level - Monday, 27. 2. 2017

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

Main problem: wind slab, new snow

Danger pattern: Cooling after warm weather / warming after cold

Risk assessment

Avalanche danger above sea level around 1500 m is MODERATE, level 2, lower down SLIGHT, level 1. Especially steep slopes and places with wind-drifted snow are dangerous. The snowpack thaws in the sun during the day and becomes somewhat unstable, at night it freezes. In shade, snow remains dry. On wind-exposed locations, snow is partly quite drifted, hard and icy.

Snow conditions

Yesterday until night, 10 to 30 cm of snow fell in the mountains. Above around 1800 m, snow was dry all the time, so it bonded poorly with the base. Lower down it was initially wet, so the bond with the base is better. The snowpack is currently soft and loose. There are many wind slabs on all aspects.

Forecast weather development

Today sunny. Freezing level at sea level around 2200 m, in the afternoon it will probably drop below 2000 m. Weak to moderate southwest wind will blow. Tomorrow it will be cloudy and also foggy in most of our mountains. Light precipitation will occur in western and southern Julian Alps and partly in Inner Carniola, during the day gradually also in Karawanks and in the western part of Kamnik-Savinja Alps. In the afternoon precipitation will intensify and in the night to Wednesday it will cover all of Slovenia. Tomorrow moderate to strong southwest wind will blow. Freezing level at sea level around 1700 m, in the night to Wednesday it will cool down. The snow line may initially be above 1500 m, in places with heavier precipitation in the northwest between 1100 and 1300 m. In the night to Wednesday the snow line will drop below 800 m, sometimes briefly to lowlands.

Trend in snow conditions

DUE TO EXPECTED PRECIPITATION, AVALANCHE CONDITIONS WILL DETERIORATE RAPIDLY TOMORROW. Today snow will thaw during the day, only in shady high-altitude locations it will remain dry. At night it will freeze mainly in the eastern part of our mountains, where there will still be some clear skies, elsewhere due to wind and cloudiness mostly only above around 2000 m. Tomorrow new snow will start accumulating in the high mountains. Above around 2000 m it will snow on frozen and partly hard base. Lower down snow will be wet, below around 1500 m rain will soak the snowpack and melt it. Therefore, avalanche danger will slowly increase during the day. By Wednesday morning, in Julian Alps 20 to about 70 cm of snow is expected, depending on elevation. Elsewhere less snow, in Kamnik-Savinja Alps and in eastern and central Karawanks about 10 to 20 cm. Southwest wind will transport snow into wind slabs. We expect that already during snowfall, especially in Julian Alps, new snow avalanches will release from steep slopes. Below the snow line, wet snow ground avalanches may release from steep, mainly grassy slopes.



Source: ARSO