Snow conditions in the mountains 3.2.2012

From Monday, the weather was dry and cold. There was little sun. A moderate easterly wind was blowing. Snow conditions have hardly changed. The snow remained dry and frozen.

The snow cover is mostly covered with a crust, on which there can be a few centimetres of fresh snow especially in sheltered spots. The crust supports human weight in places. Only in sheltered gullies is the snow still soft. On wind-exposed sites, it is heavily wind-packed, the base is hard and icy. There is little snow in the mountains.

Significant snow cover starts at about 1300 m above sea level, in gullies at about 1000 m. In the Julian Alps at 2500 m there is about 100 cm of snow, at 1500 m about 50 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m about 30 cm. Avalanche danger is grade 1. More dangerous are only wind-loaded spots and steep slopes. There, only with greater loading of the snow cover can you trigger an avalanche. On wind-packed sites there is a risk of slipping.

Today and tomorrow it will be cloudy. Especially tonight into tomorrow and tomorrow during the day there will be occasional light snowfall. Up to about 5 cm of powdery snow can fall, up to 10 cm in the southwestern part of the Julian Alps and foothills. The wind will blow the new snow into drifts.

Since the new snow will not bond to the hard base, there will be a greater chance on loaded sites that the snow will slab under additional loading, but only where at least 10 cm of snow falls. On Sunday it will partially clear, the wind will weaken. It will still be cold.

New report will be issued on Monday, 6.2.2012.



General avalanche danger is grade 1 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO