Snow conditions 3 Jan 2025

General danger level - Friday, 3 Jan 2025
Danger is level 2 on the European 5-level scale - MODERATE.
Main problem: wind-drifted snow, weak layers
Danger pattern: Cold weather, poorly bonded fresh snow with wind
Danger pattern: Areas of thin snow cover surrounded by areas of deep snow cover

Risk assessment
Avalanche danger above 1600 m is MODERATE, level 2. Fresh wind-drifted snow has fallen in many places on an unfavourable snowpack - frozen or faceted. There is more drifted snow near ridges, in gullies, at slope bends. There, under greater load, a small slab can release, which can cause a fall.

Snow conditions
There is little snow in the mountains, with a distinct difference between shady and sunny slopes. Consolidated snow cover starts above 1800 m on shady slopes, on sunny slopes it reaches down to 1000 m in places. Snow is heavily transformed everywhere. On shady slopes it is refrozen crust that freezes at night and softens during the day, on sunny slopes it is faceted snow. In the last night, up to 10 cm of new snow fell above 800 m on such a base, up to 15 cm in the Southern Julian Alps. During snowfall, the wind shifted, so small drifts formed on all sides of ridges.

Forecast weather development
Today, Friday, clearing from the north in the high mountains. There it will be a sunny day, while in the mid-mountains on the continental side of the alpine-dinaric barrier it will remain more cloudy and foggy due to a transient strengthening of the north-easterly wind. Due to the wind, the feeling of cold will be somewhat accentuated today during the day. This evening the north-easterly wind will calm down, and it will clear in the mid-mountains as well. At 1500 m around -5 °C, at 2000 m around -8 °C. Tomorrow, Saturday, mostly clear. Temperature inversion in the morning in alpine valleys, basins and plateaus. High cirrus cloudiness will appear in the afternoon. Temperature will remain similar to Friday. In the night to Sunday, the south-westerly wind will strengthen. The Primorska side of the alpine-dinaric barrier will be covered by low cloudiness at night, which will slowly rise and cover most of the country by Sunday morning. The high mountains will likely remain above this cloudiness until Sunday evening. On the alpine-dinaric barrier, weak precipitation will appear during Sunday - initially as snow, but with the inflow of warmer air, the snow line will likely rise above 1500 m by Monday night. Up to 10 cm of new snow may fall in the high mountains by Monday morning, up to 20 cm in the Southern and Western Julians, however the forecast for the amount and form of precipitation is still quite uncertain.

Trend of snow conditions
Snow conditions will not change significantly until Sunday evening.

Next issue: Monday, 6 Jan 2025

Source: ARSO