February log (Arnøya / Kågen / Laukøya and Tromsø)
Notes
- air temperatures below are measured on sea level
- if clear sky, assume inversion
2026-02-01—2026-02-03 (A)
- Air: temps around zero
- Wind: SW-W fresh and strong breeze
- Precipitation: snow showers and long periods with clear sky / scattered clouds
- Observations: less and less snow available for transport, medium- to stiff slabs stabilizing so and the weak layer(s) lower in the snowpack do the same due to the low TG.
2026-02-04—2026-02-06 (A)
- Air: a short living thaw by the sea, temps above and below zero after all
- Wind: SW-W light, fresh and strong breeze
- Precipitation: rain- and snow showers
- Observations: some potential wet sluffs and slabs due to the wet snow (and rain) lower down by the sea. Otherwise new load with snow will that will deposit on E slopes.
2026-02-06—2026-02-08 (T)
- Air: temperature rise above zero the first day, couple of minus degrees next two days
- Wind: N and S light breeze
- Precipitation: drizzle and light snow showers the first day, clear sky with SH the second day, cloudy the third day
- Observations:
2026-02-09—2026-02-11 (T)
- Air: temperatures -4 to -11 degrees
- Wind: N and S light breeze
- Precipitation: occasional snow showers, cloudy and long periods with clear sky
- Observations: quite long period with stable weather, little new loading and after all low temperatures. The clear and humid nights produce SH which might be sandwiched in the SP in the future.
2026-02-12—2026-02-15 (T)
- Air: temperatures -2 to -6 degrees
- Wind: S light-stong breeze, up to moderate gale in the mountains
- Precipitation: snow showers, cloudy and periods with clear sky
- Observations: a little bit warmer compared to the last day but wind make it feel equally cold. Some heavier snow showers will create new slabs on N slopes. Strong TG in the slopes / places with shallow SP will help squares in growing. Not sure about the distribution / layering in the snowpack.
2026-02-16—2026-02-18 (T)
- Air: temperatures -2 to -6 degrees
- Wind: mostly SW light fresh breeze with periods of light NE light breeze
- Precipitation: occasional snow showers, cloudy and periods with clear sky
- Observations: the same kind of weather like last days. Stabilizing effect even on lower layers.
2026-02-19—2026-02-20 (A)
- Air: temperatures -5 to -10 degrees
- Wind: increasing from S light-fresh to strong breeze / near gale winds
- Precipitation: cloudy and clear sky the second day
- Observations: 14-20.2 strong (S-W) winds reported by Fakken station. A lot of wind eroded, and blown places in the mountains. Some soft and medium slabs but mostly hard ones combined with zastrugi. Some isolated pockets with soft(er) snow on E slopes and where the wind has not affected the snowpack.
2026-02-21—2026-02-22 (A)
- Air: temperatures -10 to 0 degrees
- Wind: SW-W-NW light-strong breeze
- Precipitation: cloudy and snowy weather
- Observations: about 20-30cm of snow, lots of graupel crystals, fresh wind slabs on E slopes, weak layer(s) to be investigated.
2026-02-23—2026-02-24 (A)
- Air: temperatures -6 to -2 degrees
- Wind: S light breeze
- Precipitation: sunny and partially cloudy the second day
- Observations: another layer of SH night to the second day. Nice unbound snow many aspects in the mountains with some zastrugi still sticking out some ridges and wind eroded places. Not sure about the layering and what is going on lower down in the snowpack.
2026-02-25—2026-02-26 (A)
- Air: temperatures -6 to -2 degrees
- Wind: SE strong breeze up to near gale in gusts
- Precipitation: sunny and partially cloudy the second day
- Observations: a lot of snow available for transport means new winds slabs on N slopes or the slopes where winds channels the snow to the leeward side of the mountain. The lower layer(s) in the snowpack are perhaps stabilizing but it can take longer where snowpack is shallow and the TG is strong.
2026-02-27—2026-02-28 (A)
- Air: temperatures -6 to +3 degrees
- Wind: SE-S-SW fresh and strong breeze
- Precipitation: sunny and partially cloudy
- Observations:
Summary
Overall pattern:
February featured cold periods with surface hoar formation, repeated wind events, new storm snow (notably 21–22 Feb), and several thaw pulses. Conditions alternated between stabilization and renewed slab formation.
Temperatures:
Mostly below zero (–11°C to –2°C), but with short-lived thaws later in the month. Clear nights repeatedly produced SH layers.
Wind:
Dominant SW–W winds, with episodes of SE and N/NE winds. Strong breezes to moderate gales caused extensive drifting and slab formation on E/NE/N slopes and occasionally S slopes.
Precipitation:
Irregular snow showers, drizzle, graupel events, and the major 20–30 cm storm on 21–22 Feb. Clear spells allowed SH formation on several occasions.
Snowpack evolution:
- 1–6 Feb: stabilization; low TG → layer bonding.
- 6–8 Feb: SH formation.
- 9–11 Feb: little new load → SH preservation.
- 12–15 Feb: new snow + wind → slabs on N aspects; TG strong in shallow areas.
- 16–18 Feb: stabilization again.
- 19–20 Feb: strong S–W winds → hard slabs + extensive zastrugi.
- 21–22 Feb: major snowfall (20–30 cm) + graupel → new reactive slabs.
- 23–24 Feb: clear sky → new SH layer forms.
- 25–26 Feb: strong SE winds → deposition on N slopes; loading on older weak layers.
- 27–28 Feb: thaw lower down → wet sluff potential in E deposition zones.
Key layers entering March:
- Buried SH layers from early, mid, and late Feb.
- Fresh storm slabs from 21–22 Feb event.
- Graupel layers in storm snow.
- SH layer formed 23–24 Feb before SE-wind event.
- Low-elevation crust from late-month thaw.
- Faceted zones in thin areas with strong TG.
- Hard slabs + scoured surfaces from repeated wind cycles.
Overall:
February leaves behind a
highly stratified snowpack with multiple SH layers, several buried graupel interfaces, stiff slabs, and crust/wet layers at low elevations — setting up March as a month where the key question is
which SH layers were buried intact and how well the Feb 21–22 slab bonded to them.
