A moderate avalanche danger, the second degree from the five-part international scale, applies on Saturday above the forest zone in the Low, High and Western Tatras. In Mala and Veľká Fatra, the avalanche threat is small. With snow and wind, the danger will increase in all mountains. The Avalanche Prevention Center of the Mountain Rescue Service (SLP HZS) informed about it.
A new snow cover has been added in the Tatras, precipitation will continue on Saturday and will bring a total of ten to 20 centimeters of new snow. “The main avalanche problem is snow blown by the wind, all orientations are dangerous. Watch out for narrow chutes, leeward sides of ridges and places under rock walls. Here you can find wind-blown boards and pillows that are placed on a hard surface. These two layers are weakly interconnected,” SLP pointed out. He expects small to medium avalanches, which pose a risk especially in combination with terrain traps.
Friday (January 10) the cooling has stabilized the soaked snowpack from the previous days, but new snow will fall on this hard surface. The snowfall will also be accompanied by a strong wind, so the snow will mostly be beaten into boards and pillows of varying hardness. On average, there is between 20 and 60 centimeters of snow in the Tatras, the continuous snow cover is usually only above the forest zone.
From five to ten centimeters of new snow will fall on Saturday also in Fatra. The wind has been changing for the last few days, so snow sheets can be blown on almost all slopes, with the exception of the ridges and ridges, where the snow is blown from. “The danger is concentrated on slopes with a large slope and in places where there was old hard snow, especially in gutters and hollows. Due to the overall very low snow cover, only small avalanches and slides pose a risk, especially in combination with terrain traps.” brought closer by SLP.
The cooling significantly stabilized the snow cover in the Fatras as well, the snowfall there will also be accompanied by a very strong wind. On average, there is between 20 and 30 centimeters of snow in the Fatras, the continuous snow cover is usually only above the forest zone.
