Snow conditions in the mountains 4.2.2013

In the night to Saturday and on Saturday, it was cloudy with precipitation.

The snow line was initially at about 1600 m, but on Saturday morning it was lowering further. By evening, 15 to 60 cm of snow fell in the mountains, depending on altitude and geographical location. There was more precipitation in the western part of our mountains. During the snowfall, a strong wind blew mainly from the north, which carried the new snow into drifts. In the high mountains, the new snow was dry and therefore adhered poorly to the base, below about 1700 m it was initially wet or it rained, so the bond between the new and old snow is quite good.

Already during the snowfall, avalanches of unbound snow were triggered, lower down also ground avalanches from snow soaked by rain. By today, the snow has settled somewhat, but the wind is still carrying snow and making new drifts.

The snow cover mainly extends to the valleys. The snow is quite blown, so the snow conditions are very different and change over relatively small distances. In some places it is soft and light, elsewhere harder due to wind, in some places blown down to a hard base. Extensive are areas of wind-packed snow, new cornices have formed. At 2500 m in the Julian Alps, there is up to about 260 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 170 cm.

Elsewhere in our mountains, there is 50 to about 90 cm of snow at 1500 m. At 1000 m, the snow cover is thick up to about 50 cm.

The avalanche danger is mostly level 3, below about 1200 m level 1 to 2. The greatest danger is posed by numerous places with wind-blown snow, especially on steeper slopes, where you can trigger an avalanche even with a small load on the snow cover. Possible are also still spontaneous avalanches of dry, partially bound snow from steep slopes.

Today and tomorrow it will be mostly dry. The freezing level will transiently rise today to an altitude of about 1500 m, but it will cool down tomorrow. The snow cover will slowly settle and transform, only a little faster on sunny slopes, because there will be little sun.

The western and southwestern wind will make new drifts on the eastern and southern sides of ridges and saddles. In the night to Wednesday and on Wednesday during the day, it will snow again. By Wednesday evening, 5 to 10 cm are expected to fall, in the high mountains also up to 15 cm of dry snow, which the wind will carry into drifts. The new snow is expected to adhere quite well to the base and therefore the avalanche danger will not increase much.

The new report will be issued on Monday, 4.2.2013



The general avalanche danger is level 3 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO