Západné Tatry

Watch out for wind-blown snow that has created unstable snow slabs and pillows. Underneath are soft, angular-grained snow.

Watch out for wind-blown snow that has created unstable snow slabs and pillows. Underneath are soft, angular-grained snow.

In the Tatras and Low Tatras there is a moderate avalanche danger, 2nd degree. The avalanche danger is local, concentrated in places where the wind has blown a larger amount of new snow. Particularly in the northern sector where soft unstable snow is present in the cover. Such locations are very difficult to detect in the terrain. The new snow is deposited in troughs, moguls and under rock faces in the form of less stable snow slabs and pillows. Avalanche release on such steep slopes, where old frozen snow is still under the new snow, is possible, especially with additional loads. Larger spontaneous avalanches are not expected.

The snow cover is varied. During the last snowfall period, 10 to 20 cm of new snow fell. However, it has been blown by strong winds to leeward places and into the forest zone, where it is more than 60 cm high. In places exposed to the wind, the surface of the snow is blown down to the old snow, possibly rocks and grass. Due to the very low temperatures, the new snow cannot bind with the old snow base and remains unstable. Underneath the new snow and the old hard crust there is a distinctive layer of angularly grained snow. This can already be an avalanche problem with a small additional load. The old frozen snow is only found from about 1400-1700 m above sea level (depending on the orientation and the mountain range). The total snow depth remains below average, ranging from 25 to 75 cm.

Due to the cold air rising.