Small snowdrift accumulations triggerable in places
Avalanche danger above 2200 is moderate, below that altitude, low. From place to place, slab avalanches can be triggered in the snowdrifts by minimum additional loading and, in isolated cases, grow to medium size. Danger zones are located mostly near ridgelines on shady W-N-E facing slopes and in wind-loaded gullies and bowls. Frequency and spread of avalanche prone locations increase with ascending altitude. In addition, in high alpine regions avalanches can be triggered in isolated cases in the weak snow on very steep shady slopes. Apart from the risks of being buried in snow masses, the danger of being swept along and forced to take a fall in outlying terrain also require defensive conduct.
Snowpack
With ascending altitude, small snowdrift accumulations have been deposited primarily on shady slopes on top of an unfavorable old snowpack surface. They are often expansively metamorphosed, at low and intermediate altitudes they are melt-freeze encrusted. On shady slopes in high alpine regions, isolated weak layers occur inside the old snowpack. Snow depths at all altitudes continue to be significantly below-average. Only limited information is currently available from backcountry to the Avalanche Warning Services.
Tendency
Avalanche danger will decrease gradually
Danger level
treeline
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Treeline
More amount of new snow with wind.
The new light snow has not adhered well to the old snow base. In moderate to strong north-easterly winds, slush is forming. Especially above the forest line in the Snežnik area, a snow avalanche is possible even at low loads. Spontaneous avalanches are also possible.
Snowpack
dp.6: cold, loose snow and wind
When it snows, the snowpack slowly increases. Up to 10 cm of light, dry snow has fallen on hard ground above about 1300 m. At the same time, moderate to strong winds are blowing, carrying the snow and building drifts and drifts. The snowpack is markedly uneven. There is a lot of blowing snow, especially on the leeward slopes.
Tendency
Snow and strong winds will continue. A total of 20-40 cm of snow will fall by Wednesday morning, with the highest snowfall in the Snežnik area.
Danger level
treeline
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Treeline
Wind slabs are prone to triggering in places.
The avalanche risk is moderate above the tree line and low below it. In places, wind slab can be triggered as a small or medium slab avalanche by a small additional load. Avalanche prone locations are located adjacent to the ridgeline, crest or summit in steep terrain in northern and eastern aspects as well as in gullies and bowls. The number and extent of avalanche prone locations increase with altitude. In addition to the risk of burial, the risk of being swept away and falling must be taken into account.
Snowpack
Older wind slabs are sometimes prone to triggering on surface hoar or graupel. Snowdrift accumulations and obstacles are often covered by a thin layer of soft new fallen snow and are therefore difficult to recognise. Below the old melt-freeze crust, faceted crystals can often be found right down to the ground, especially at high altitudes. On the south side, there is insufficient snow for winter sports right up to the higher altitudes.
Tendency
No significant change until the weather changes on Thursday.
Danger level
2400m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
2400m
Persistent weak layer
2600m
Snowdrift accumulations can still be prone to disruption in some cases
The avalanche danger is moderate above 2400 m and low below. Above around 2400 m, mostly small to maximum medium-sized snow slabs can still be triggered in a few places by low additional loads in the wind slab. The frequency and extent of the danger zones increase slightly with altitude. The danger areas are located adjacent to the ridgeline, but also partly distant from ridgelines behind terrain edges and in gullies and bowls. In shady slopes, there are also isolated trigger points for small to medium-sized slab avalanches in persistent weak layers that are difficult to trigger.
Snowpack
The snow cover, snowpack is highly variable and below average. Fresh and older, brittle windslab snow lies on a crusted can form surface. Weak layers are most likely to be found in the wind slab and at the transition to the melt-freeze crust. Below this are layers of faceted crystals and melt-freeze crusts. Due to the heavily built-up transformed snow cover, the fracture propagation potential is generally low. In isolated places, however, a prone-to-triggering combination of weak layer and snow slab cannot be ruled out, especially on the shady slope.
Tendency
It remains cold, the new and wind slab snow is slow to settle.
Danger level
Low avalanche danger
The avalanche danger is low, isolated danger areas due to older snowdrift accumulations can still be found behind the edges of the terrain adjacent to the ridgeline and in gullies and bowls that have been blown in. Drift snow areas are small and easily recognisable, but danger areas due to stones under the thin snow cover, snowpack are often not.
Snowpack
There is a below-average amount of snow and the snow cover, snowpack is highly variable. In shady slopes at high altitudes, there are isolated weak layers of faceted crystals in the snow cover, mostly in the vicinity of crusts. Away from this, there is a succession of thin layers of new and drifting snow on the meadows or it is bare.
Tendency
No change in avalanche danger.
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Avoid high steep terrain with wind slabs!
The avalanche risk is predominantly low. Localised avalanche prone locations with snowdrift accumulations can be found on steep slopes in areas adjacent to the ridgeline, as well as in filled-in bowls and summits. Here, only small slab avalanches could be triggered in a few places in the terrain by low additional loads. Avalanche prone locations are easy to recognise and should be avoided.
Snowpack
The snow cover, snowpack is characterised by the recent strong to stormy winds and some snowfall at times. At high altitudes, there are snowdrift accumulations that may contain thin intermediate layers and they often lie on angular forms or on a hardness of old snowpack. The thin snow base, fundament is weakened by the kinetic metamorphism. The snow depths are very below average even at high altitudes.
Tendency
No significant change in the snow and avalanche situation.
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Risk of snagging and falling due to small snowdrift accumulations.
The avalanche danger is low. Snowdrift accumulations in steep, blown-in areas can be triggered in some places by a small additional load as a small snow slab.
Snowpack
Small, older snowdrift accumulations lie on surface hoar or graupel in some places. Below the melt-freeze crust near the surface, faceted crystals can be found at higher elevations down to the ground. There is little snow on the south side.
Tendency
No significant change until the weather changes on Thursday.
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
More amount of new snow with wind.
The new light snow has not adhered well to the old snow base. In moderate to strong north-easterly winds, slush is forming.
Snowpack
dp.6: cold, loose snow and wind
When it snows, the snowpack slowly increases. Up to 10 cm of light, dry snow falls. At the same time, a moderate wind is blowing, which carries the snow and builds drifts and drifts. The snowpack is markedly uneven. There is a lot of blowing snow, especially on the leeward slopes.
Tendency
Snow and wind will continue. A total of 20 to 30 cm of snow will have fallen by Wednesday morning.
Danger level
treeline
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Treeline
Beware of prone to triggering snowdrift accumulations
The avalanche risk is low. Nevertheless, there are isolated danger spots at higher altitudes in the form of snowdrift accumulations, which can be triggered in places by a small additional load as a small snow slab. They are located especially in areas adjacent to the ridgeline, crest or summit as well as in gullies and bowls. The danger zones are usually easily recognisable. The risk of being swept away and falling is greater than the risk of burial.
Snowpack
The snow cover, snowpack is characterised by strong winds. Hardness, blown-off areas alternate with older and fresh snowdrift accumulations in a confined space. Weak layers for slab avalanches are located in the drift snow packs themselves or at the transition to the crusted old snowpack. The snow depth is still well below average at all altitudes.
Tendency
Slightly less wind on Wednesday, but it will remain very cold! No significant change in the avalanche danger.
Danger level
2000m
Avalanche Problem
Persistent weak layer
2000m
Wind slab
Treeline
The danger of avalanches is low.
The snowpack is mostly stable. In some places in the high alpine regions, especially on fresh drifts of blown snow, a small, clustered avalanche can be triggered under higher loads.
Snowpack
dp.4: cold following warm / warm following cold
There is little snow, and the peaks and ridges are in some places blown bare. In the high alpine regions, weak layers may be present in the old snow cover. In some places, Crust has formed in recent days. The cold weather has not changed the situation much.
Tendency
Light to moderate snow until Wednesday morning. 5 to 20 cm of light and sometimes fluffy snow is expected, with the least in the western Julian Mountains and the western Karavanke Mountains. Wind will carry snow to exposed positions. The risk of triggering will increase slightly as the snow will fall on hard and in some places icy ground. As snow will be relatively scarce, only minor avalanches of dry snow will be possible.
Danger level
2000m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
2000m
Isolated snowdrift accumulations still prone to triggering!
The avalanche danger is assessed as low. The snowdrift accumulations above around 2000 m are still prone to disturbance and are mainly located in gullies and bowls, behind broad ridges and ridgelines with a northern or eastern aspect. In a few places, the wind slab can be triggered by individuals as a small slab avalanche. However, the avalanche prone locations are easily recognisable. In addition to the risk of burial in terrain traps, the risk of being swept away and falling must also be taken into account. The number of avalanche prone locations decreases from north to south.
Snowpack
The snowdrift accumulations that have formed due to the strong to stormy winds of the last few days remain prone to triggering. These often lie on angular shapes or a hardness of old snowpack. The snow surface is hard or icy on sunny slopes and windward terrain. In shady slope terrain, the kinetic metamorphism weakens the snow cover, snowpack. However, the potential for break propagation is very low. The snow depth is below average in all mountain groups.
Tendency
There will be no significant change in the snow and avalanche situation in the coming days.
On Wednesday, it will remain mainly cloudy and cold with mostly moderate winds. On Thursday, the north-westerly winds will be strong to stormy and light snow will start to fall in the northern foothills. On Friday, a warm front will lead to further precipitation.
Danger level
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
Snowdrift accumulations remain triggerable
Avalanche danger is low. Local snowdrift accumulations can be triggered in places as small-sized slab avalanches. Danger zones occur especially near ridgelines in wind-loaded gullies adn bowls as well as in extremely steep terrain. Apart from the risks of being buried in snow masses, the danger of being swept along and forced to take a fall requires caution.
Snowpack
On shady slopes, older small-sized snowdrift accumulations often lie deposited on top of an unfavorable old snowpack surface. The shallow snowpack is often expansively metamorphosed, at low and intermediate altitudes they are melt-freeze encrusted. Snow depths at all altitudes continue to be significantly below-average. Only limited information is currently available from backcountry to the Avalanche Warning Services.
Tendency
Avalanche danger will decrease gradually
Danger level
2400m
Avalanche Problem
Wind slab
2400m
Wind slabs and stones are the main danger.
The avalanche danger is low. Above around 2400 m, small snow slabs can still be triggered in a few places in the wind slab. Be careful in the area of terrain traps, where enough snow could accumulate to bury people. Drift snowpacks are most likely to be located behind terrain edges adjacent to the ridgeline and in gullies and bowls and are usually easily recognisable, but danger areas due to stones under the thin snow cover, crest or summit are often not.
Snowpack
The snow cover, snowpack is highly variable. Wind slab snow lies adjacent to the ridgeline on a crusted can form old snow surface. Weak layers are most likely to be found in the wind slab and at the transition to the melt-freeze crust. Below this are layers of faceted crystals and melt-freeze crusts. However, due to the heavily built-up transformed snow cover, the potential for fracture propagation is generally low. On the sunny slopes, the snow cover, snowpack is hard and crusted can form, or the subsoil is only thinly covered. The snow depth is still well below average at all altitudes.
Tendency
It remains cold, the new and wind slab snow is slow to settle.
