Snow conditions in the mountains 4.3.2011

Dry and cold weather continues. The snowpack has transformed only slowly due to low temperatures and cloudy weather. The wind has weakened and is no longer forming major drifts.

In the Julian Alps at 2500 m there is up to about 350 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to about 140 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m around 30 cm of snow. The thin snow cover extends into valleys in some places down to the lowlands, while sun-exposed slopes are mostly bare up to about 1000 m above sea level. The snow is mostly covered with a crust that formed partly due to wind, and on sun-exposed slopes also due to daytime melting and nighttime freezing over the past week. The crust mostly does not bear human weight. In shady areas there is still powder snow in places, especially where it was drifted by the wind. Extensive areas of windblown snow. On wind-exposed sites the snowpack is considerably scoured down to a hard, partly icy base.

Avalanche danger is mostly level 2, and lower where there is little snow, level 1. Primarily dangerous are areas with windblown snow and steeper slopes, especially shady aspects; elsewhere the snowpack is relatively stable. A touring skier or hiker can trigger a slab or loose snow avalanche in such places.

No spontaneous avalanching is expected.

Today and Saturday will be sunny and somewhat warmer, the freezing level will rise tomorrow to about 1600 m a.s.l. Especially on sun-exposed slopes the snow will settle during the day and freeze at night.

In shady areas the snow will remain poorly transformed. On Sunday it will cool down, a strong northerly or northeasterly wind will blow.

No major new drifts.

The next report will be issued on Monday, March 7.



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



Source: ARSO