Západné Tatry

Wind-blown snow at the highest altitudes, rain and wet snow at middle altitudes

Wind-blown snow at the highest altitudes, rain and wet snow at middle altitudes

During Friday, the weather in the mountains of Slovakia will be influenced by an undulating cold front, which will bring rain and strong winds in many places. The snowfall limit will be up to 1600 m above sea level. There is a moderate avalanche danger for the western, high and western part of the Low Tatras - i.e. the second level of the 5-part international scale. The main avalanche problem will be wind-blown snow, especially in the NW, NE and S and E orientations of the higher altitudes. In such places there will be unstable slabs and pillows of wind-blown snow which will not be sufficiently bonded to the hard underlying layer of old frozen snow. Avalanche release will be possible especially on windward slopes and gullies with high gradients. On the ridges of the highest altitudes, strong winds on Thursday created massive overhanging drifts. The second avalanche problem from the middle altitudes downwards will be wet snow, which will become heavier due to warming. Slopes with visible gullies will be the most dangerous. Spontaneous foundation avalanches may also occur in these places during the day.

The snow cover is very varied. At the lowest altitudes there is no longer a continuous snow cover, at lower and middle altitudes it will be wet due to rain and warming and gradually become wet during the day. From the mid-altitudes upwards, strong winds and snowfall will cause the snow cover to be hard to icy on the windward sides of the mountains, with slabs and pillows of unstable snow on the leeward sides of the highest altitudes and drifts on the ridges.

With the predicted development of the weather rising. Compiled by : Martin Buliak