Snow conditions in the mountains 7.3.2011

At the end of the week, the weather in the mountains was dry. On Saturday it was sunny, snow on southern slopes melted during the day and froze at night. On Sunday it cooled down and the snow remained mostly frozen. The snow cover in gullies hardly transformed.

In the Julian Alps at 2500 m there is about 340 cm of snow, at 1500 m about 130 cm. Elsewhere in our mountains at 1500 m about 20 cm of snow. The thin snow cover in gullies reaches lowlands in places, southern slopes are mostly bare up to about 1000 m above sea level. The snow is mostly covered with a crust formed partly by wind, on southern slopes also by daytime melting and nighttime freezing. The crust bears human weight in places. In gullies there is still powder snow in places, especially where wind drifted it. Extensive areas of wind-drifted snow. On wind-exposed places the snow cover is quite scoured to a hard, partly icy base.

Avalanche danger is mostly level 2, lower where there is little snow, level 1. Dangerous are mainly places with drifted snow and steeper slopes, especially shady locations, elsewhere the snow cover is relatively stable. A touring skier or hiker can trigger an avalanche of slab or loose snow on such places.

No spontaneous avalanching expected.

Sunny weather will continue all week. Today and Tuesday still cold, Wednesday warmer, snowline will rise to about 1700 m above sea level, Thursday and Friday at 2000 m or a bit higher. The snow cover will transform faster. Snow on sunny slopes will melt faster from Wednesday daytime and freeze at night. The crust will strengthen, softening during the day.

In gullies transformation slower, in shady locations snow will remain dry.

Next report issued on Friday, March 11.



General avalanche danger is moderate, i.e. level 2 on the European five-level scale.



Source: ARSO