Snow Conditions in the Mountains 28.1.2013

At the weekend it was dry and cold weather in the mountains. Until today it has warmed up somewhat, below 1000 m it has warmed up a little above zero in some places, at night it snowed lightly in some places and a few centimeters of snow fell. The snow cover was settling and transforming, on sunny slopes a crust was forming.

The snow cover extends to the lowlands. The snow is mostly loose on the surface and breaks through, under the layer of relatively loose snow there is a crust that mostly does not hold human weight. On sunny slopes a thin crust has formed. In wind-exposed places in high mountains there are numerous drifts and cornices along ridges. At 2500 m in the Julian Alps there is up to about 250 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 130 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains there is 30 to about 50 cm of snow at 1500 m. At 1000 m the snow cover is thick up to about 30 cm.

The avalanche danger is mostly level 2, below about 1000 m level 1. Dangerous are especially places with blown snow and steeper slopes, where with greater additional load on the snow cover you can trigger an avalanche. Spontaneous avalanches are not expected.

Today it will snow lightly transitional, up to about 5 cm of snow can fall. Tomorrow it will be partly clear with occasionally increased cloudiness, but it will have a base above the peaks. Warmer but relatively dry air will flow in. The snow will soften especially on sunny areas and on plateaus during the day, at night it will freeze. The transformation will proceed faster and the snow cover will therefore gradually stabilize. On the surface the crust will strengthen. Only in shady areas the snow will remain less transformed and mostly soft.

New report will be issued on Wednesday, 30.1.2013



General avalanche danger is level 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO