Snow conditions in the mountains 6.3.2013

Dry and sunny weather lasted until Tuesday afternoon. Initially, the snow line was at around 1600 m above sea level, but occasionally rose above 2000 m. Snow sintered on sun-exposed slopes during the day and froze at night. Due to very dry air, only south-facing slopes with sufficient steepness sintered. In gullies and higher up, snow remained dry and frozen. By today it has become cloudy, light rain has started in the west, and light snow above around 1400 m.

At 2500 m in the Julian Alps there is up to about 360 cm of snow, at 1500 m up to 240 cm, and at 1000 m about 100 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains, snow at 1500 m is 90 to 130 cm, at 1000 m about 70 cm. More snow in shady locations than in sun-exposed ones.

The snowpack is mostly covered with crust, in some gullies the snow is still dry. Below around 1500 m, snow is sintered. Numerous avalanches on ridges.

Avalanche danger is mostly level 2, but below the snow line in areas with precipitation (Julian Alps and western Karawanks, western part of Kamnik Alps) the snow will get wet and the possibility of releasing wet snow slab avalanches from steeper slopes will increase.

There it will be level 3. In the high mountains, avalanche danger will gradually increase due to new snow falling on a hard base. By Friday morning, up to about 40 cm of snow could fall in the western and southwestern part of the Julian Alps.

Today and tomorrow cloudy and foggy weather will prevail, snow line at around 1600 m above sea level. In the Julian Alps, western Karawanks, occasionally also in the Kamnik Alps, precipitation will occur. The snow line will initially be at around 1400 m, but will rise slightly in the afternoon. Tomorrow precipitation will weaken somewhat and shift more to the west. The snow line will rise to around 1700 m. The snowpack will settle and melt lower down. Wet snow avalanches are expected on sufficiently steep slopes with grassy or leafy base.

In the eastern Karawanks, Pohorje, and eastern part of the Savinja Alps it will be mostly dry, so conditions there will be somewhat different, with lower likelihood of sliding.

New report will be issued on Friday, 8.3.2013



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



Source: ARSO