New fallen snow in the high alpine regions, weak layers in the old snow cover.
It snowed in the mountains on Thursday and Friday. On Friday, the snow line dropped, with heavier snowfall in the east of the Alps. Spontaneous avalanches will continue to occur in the high alpine regions. We advise against visiting the high alpine regions in the current conditions!
Moderate to strong winds from the north have built up large snowdrift accumulations on the leeward sides. Areas of blowing snow are more dangerous and can trigger a major Avalanche. New fallen snow will put additional load on the old snow cover. This may exceed the load-bearing capacity of the deeper Weak layers and trigger a deep and large avalanche. Such weak layers are abundant, especially in the axis above the forest, but are not excluded elsewhere.
In parts of the mid-mountains where it has rained, the rain has wetted the snowpack. Some new fallen snow has fallen on top of this blanket as it cooled.
Snowpack
dp.1: deep persistent weak layer dp.4: cold following warm / warm following cold
The old snow cover is made up of layers of bonded snow that are already somewhat compacted and mostly well connected. Deep below the surface, the old snow cover contains several weak layers of shredded and coarse grains.
50-80 cm of New fallen snow has fallen on this base during this snowfall in the High alpine regions. The snow line was mostly between 1200 m and 1500 m on Thursday, but dropped on Friday.
Tendency
Snow conditions will remain challenging, with an increased danger of wet snow avalanches in the mid-mountains as the weather warms up.
Danger level
1500m
Avalanche Problem
New snow
1500m
Wind slab
1500m
Persistent weak layer
1600m
New snow
1500m
New fallen snow in the high alpine regions, weak layers in the old snow cover.
Thursday night and Friday will see more snow in the mountains, with the snow line decreasing. On Friday, snow will be heavier in the east of the Alps. Spontaneous avalanches will continue to occur in the high alpine regions. We advise against visiting the high alpine regions in the current conditions!
Moderate to strong winds from the north will build up larger snowdrift accumulations on the leeward sides. More dangerous are areas of blowing snow, where a major Avalanche may be triggered. New fallen snow will put additional load on the old snow cover. This may exceed the load-bearing capacity of the deeper Weak layers and trigger a deep and large avalanche. Such weak layers are abundant, especially in the axis above the forest, but are not excluded elsewhere.
In parts of the mid-mountains where it has rained, the rain has wetted the snowpack. Some new fallen snow will fall on top of this blanket as the weather cools.
Snowpack
dp.1: deep persistent weak layer dp.4: cold following warm / warm following cold
The old snow cover is made up of layers of bonded snow that are already somewhat compacted and mostly well connected. Deep below the surface, the old snow cover contains several weak layers of faceted snow crystals and coarse grains.
This base has received 60-80 cm of New fallen snow in the high alpine regions during this snowfall. The snow line was mostly between 1200 m and 1500 m on Thursday, but dropped on Friday.
Tendency
Snow conditions will remain challenging, with an increased danger of wet snow avalanches in the mid-mountains as the weather warms up.
Danger level
1200m
Avalanche Problem
Gliding snow
1200m
New snow
1500m
Increased amount of new snow in the highest parts of the mid-mountains, snowdrift accumulations
New fallen snow on the highest peaks
On Thursday and Friday, precipitation occurred, with rain outside the highest peaks, soaking the snowpack. As the snowfall level is high, only the highest peaks will be covered with snow.
Snowpack
The old snow cover is made up of layers of bonded snow that are already somewhat compacted and mostly well connected. A depth hoar has formed at the interface between the snowpack and the ground.
Tendency
As the weather warms up, mostly small wet snow avalanches will be possible on steep grassy slopes.
Danger level
800m
Avalanche Problem
New snow
800m
Wind slab
Treeline
New fallen snow
On Thursday, precipitation started to appear, with rain outside the highest peaks. On Friday night, the precipitation intensified, the snow line quickly dropped and snow fell to the lowlands.
Snowpack
There is little old snow cover, with snow only on the highest peaks. 30-50 cm of New fallen snow has fallen during this snowfall, possibly more in the eastern part of Pohorje and Kobansko.
Tendency
As the weather warms up, mostly small wet snow avalanches will be possible on steep grassy slopes.
