Veľká Fatra

Watch out for snow accumulation during the day on the sun-exposed sides of the J.

Watch out for snow accumulation during the day on the sun-exposed sides of the J.

In the Fatra Mountains there is a SMALL avalanche danger (i.e. 1st degree of the 5-part scale). New snow from the last snowfall period here was often blown by strong winds up to the forest zone, locally smaller slabs or pillows of wind deposited snow can be found on the E oriented slopes. Generally, however, the snow cover has settled and stabilized with the warming of the last days and the subsequent nightly freezing. The main avalanche problem is wet snow, which will cause solar radiation during the day, especially on S sun-exposed slopes. Spontaneous avalanches of wet snow may occur during the day.

The weather during Saturday will be influenced by an influx of dry air and the edge of a pressure high. During the day we expect bright sunny weather. The 0°C isotherm will gradually reach the mid-latitudes. Snow is unevenly distributed in the terrain. The strong winds of the last few days have blown it to the SE and E sides of the mountains, while the windward sides of the mountains are blown onto the hard underlying firn layer or up to the soil surface. Due to the change in temperature, the snow cover has settled and stabilised, with a crust or layer of firn forming on its surface. During the day, the warming will cause the snow to become wetter, heavier and more compacted, especially in sun-exposed areas in the south. The total snow cover is still below average.

With the expected change in temperatures decreasing.