SnowFlurry 8 2019/20 | Good conditions for the beginning of January

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It was really cold on the snow surface on shady slopes at the beginning of the week, -14°C (see profile), and in some places it was even below -20°C, according to the measuring stations. If you consider that the accumulating transformation already takes effect at a temperature difference of approx. 0.1°C per centimeter, it is easy to understand that at 6.1°C per 15cm, i.e. 0.4°C per cm, the transformation is progressing quite rapidly. On sunny slopes, the snow surface became mostly moist again during the day, allowing a cover to form during the night.

Profile Vorderhirscheben from 5.1.2020 | 2292m | N | 33°

Green:

Snowfall until the beginning of December (3.12.2019). The decomposition process is underway here. In the lowest layer, there are slightly pronounced cup crystals, which are also in the process of degrading again. The cup crystals have probably also formed through the cavities in the stones at the bottom.

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Snow profile Vorderhirscheben

Stefanie Höpperger

Snow profile Vorderhirscheben

Stefanie Höpperger

Red:

A fair weather phase followed from December 3. This is responsible for the crust. The angular layer underneath was formed by a large temperature gradient in the upper layers at that time. No fracture could be produced in this possible weak layer. However, this is conceivable in places with less snow.

Blue: These are the smaller snowfalls from 9.12.19 and 13.12.19

Violet: Snowfalls around Christmas time 21.12.-25.12.19.

The snow in this layer comes from alternating warm and cold fronts, accompanied by strong winds in some places. The angular layer (yellow) was probably created by the resulting temperature changes in the fresh snow. A Gm4 problem -> cold to warm / warm to cold.

The top layer is a mixture of the old snow surface and the snowfall on 4.1.20. As you can clearly see here, it's not the degrading transformation that's starting to do its work, but the building transformation has just started. Thanks to the cold temperatures, a very low dew point and clear nights: Here you are still driving powder.

Test result:

Only two ECTN - partial fractures could be generated. This was only on layers close to the surface. The two results are rather negligible for this profile.

With the rise in temperature and dew point, the snow quality unfortunately did not improve, so we are hoping for fresh snow soon.