Tatra Mountains. Snow crisis. Snowfall in the Tatras has never been so low

This year's winter in Tatras It surprises with an extremely low snow cover – data of the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management shows that the values ​​are far below many years of climate norms. On Kasprowy Wierch, the maximum snow cover this winter was only 86 centimeters, and the record is 335 cm.

On Kasprowy Wierch, where the high -mountain station is located IMGWongoing winter, the lowest snow cover values ​​were recorded: the maximum layer of snow in December was 43 cm, in January 86 cm, and only 73 cm in February. Meanwhile, in 1991-2020, the standards for these months were 56.1 cm, 92.7 cm and 130.5 cm, respectively.

Record snowfall at Kasprowy Wierch from previous years prove the scale of this year's deficit. In December 2017, a 226 cm top was recorded, in January 2019 – 235 cm, and in February 2020 as much as 280 cm. The historical record, in turn, was broken in March 2009, when the snow cover reached 335 cm there.

– Snow cover in the Tatra Mountains is more than twice as much as usual at this time of year. Stable, several months of snow is a water reservoir, which gradually penetrates into streams and soils, but currently there is very little snow, and the level of water in mountain streams is extremely low, which may worry – said Paweł Parzuchowski, head of the IMGW station in Zakopane.

The expert emphasized that even any heavy snowfall, which may still occur in the Tatras until May, would not change the hydrological situation much, because fresh snow is melting quickly and does not supply rivers in a permanent way.

Snow shortages are also reflected in tourism and ski infrastructure. On Kasprowy Wierch, even a meter snow cover was not recorded this winter, which is a sensation. Due to the small snow cover, the chair lift in the Goryczkowa Valley was not started even once, and the route to the Gąsienicowa Valley from the Kasprowy peak was launched thanks to the minimum layer of snow.