Unified avalanche warnings...

Unified avalanche warnings on the
Austrian-Slovenian cross-border area.



The aim of the CROSSRISK project, led by ZAMG, is to reduce risks
related to rain and snow in the border area between Austria and
Slovenia. Within the project, project partners are among other things developing
uniform, multilingual warning systems, one of the results is also
the joint avalanche bulletin, which has been available since this winter on the new web
page http://www.crossrisk.eu/sl/.

Although in the southern parts of Austria and in Slovenia large amounts of rain and snow repeatedly
cause damage and endanger people, to date there have been no uniform forecasts
or warnings for the cross-border area. The aim of the CROSSRISK project is to develop joint multilingual warning systems and
educational concepts. "This creates synergies whose effect is a significant improvement
in quality and increased cost-effectiveness on both sides of the border," says Arno
Studeregger from the Austrian Federal Office for Meteorology and Geodynamics
(Zentralanstalt für Meteorologie und Geodynamik, ZAMG). "In this way we will improve
the safety of the population and infrastructure in the region, better information for safer movement of backcountry
skiers will also help tourism. In addition, the flow of
information between the relevant institutions in both countries will be significantly improved."

New avalanche bulletin (snow avalanche hazard report)

The new avalanche bulletin for the border area is one of the results of the CROSSRISK project, which
are available since this winter. "This is a good example of how important it is to standardize
warnings," says the ZAMG snow avalanche expert Studeregger. "The
Zelenice area has so far been assessed by both the Slovenian and Austrian side, which in some
cases led to conflicting messages. Differences in presentation and possible discrepancies
between avalanche bulletin information could hinder users in making
appropriate and safe decisions. Since this winter, joint warnings of snow avalanche
danger from Slovenia and Austrian Carinthia and Styria are publicly available at the web
address crossrisk.eu/sl/, with uniform information on snow avalanches, weather
and snow."

Images 1 and 2. (Source: http://www.crossrisk.eu/sl/)



2
New tool for planning ski tours
The novelty is also a tool for planning backcountry ski tours across borders in the area of Austrian
Styria and Carinthia and Slovenia, available on the website snowmaps.org/si/.
Users can use the new tool to plan tours and view current
data from weather stations, model weather forecasts and, via webcams, also
current conditions. The planned tour can be downloaded to one's own GPS device.

Image-3. (Source: https://snowmaps.org/si/)

New app for exchanging field data

Within the project, in collaboration with the Norwegian state avalanche service, we have also established a
web and mobile app for entering and sharing field observations that describe the condition
of the snowpack and water conditions. For the snowpack, the user can e.g. enter and share
observed signs of danger, snow condition, avalanches or simply forward current
photos. The app is intended for both general users and services that handle
issuing danger warnings; web and mobile versions are available.

Image-4. (Source: https://www.regobs.no)

Long-term benefits even after the end of the project

The CROSSRISK project, funded by the European Interreg Slovenia-Austria programme,
runs from June 2018 to August 2021. The project is led by ZAMG, project partners also include
the Austrian states of Styria and Carinthia, FH Joanneum, the Research Centre of the
Slovenian Academy of Sciences and Arts (ZRC SAZU), University of Maribor (UM) and
the Environment Agency of the Republic of Slovenia (ARSO). Cooperation of operational warning services
from Slovenia and Austria ensures that project results and products
will be freely accessible in the long term and regularly maintained even after the end of the project. In addition to the new
website, the revamped avalanche bulletin and the tool for planning outdoor activities,
the Slovenian project partners have prepared, in collaboration with the Austrians, two more
publications and informative videos on the topic of snow and snow avalanches, available
at the links below. The unified approach to assessing conditions on the Austrian-Slovenian
cross-border area brings long-term beneficial effects for users and demonstrates
a comprehensive and unified understanding of this area, above all contributing to the safety
of its users. Additional weather products and improved information on snow and
avalanches are only part of the project activities; others focus on improved hydrological
forecasts and flood warnings in the Mur river basin and support for long-term



3

planning taking into account different climate scenarios and risks due to climate

changes.



Web links

About the CROSSRISK project: https://crossrisk.zrc-sazu.si/

Field snow handbook: https://omp.zrc-sazu.si/zalozba/catalog/view/1905/7904/1178-1

Snow card: https://omp.zrc-sazu.si/zalozba/catalog/view/1905/7904/1179-4

More about the handbook and card: https://zalozba.zrc-sazu.si/p/1609 (E-publications)

Video about the project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTElcEWsKXg.