Ice stability

The temperature trend has an influence to the ice stability. Here a little explanation to the example temperature over time graph:

The first 12 days the temperature is low, and it does not show big oscillation. So we can expect pretty low-tension ice.

The temperature till to the 20th staggers around 0°C. After the cold spell it does not affect the ice stability. But after a period of warmth you have to watch out.

The high temperature around the 22nd rots the ice, and if it stays longer that way it could rot till to the core. The physical harzards are raising.

The sudden drop of temperature around the 25th leads to big tension in the ice. This could lead to sudden burst of freestanding pillars or freehanging cones. The vibration of a blow is spreading and might lead to breaks.

After the 28th the temperature is leveling out and the tension in the ice is reduced during time.

For further information check the leaflet Steileisklettern from Federal Office of Sports. It's in german thought.

The temperature data are periodically retrieved from www.openweathermap.org, www.meteoswiss.admin.ch, www.met.no and stored. The dewpoint is calculated with the simplified formula from Mark G. Lawrence.