Showing Sat 13 Dec 2025 Back to today

Vaud Alps

Waadtländer Voralpen

Sat 13 Dec

Avalanche Problems

Low (1) Dry avalanches · all day
Dry snow level 1 No distinct problem 1
All aspects
above 1400m
Individual Locations delineated by aspect or altitude where avalanches can trigger and people or objects are at risk.EAWS glossary are to be found in particular in extremely steep terrain. Restraint should be exercised because avalanches can sweep people along and give rise to falls.
Field notes

SLF uses this label when no single problem dominates the assessment, often on lower-danger days. It doesn't mean conditions are safe: any avalanche type is still possible, and normal caution applies. On stable days this is usually a signal to enjoy the mountains with general awareness; on less-stable days where the assessment is still inconclusive, it's a signal to be cautious specifically because there's no clear pattern to follow.

Source: SLF Avalanche Bulletin Interpretation Guide

Snowpack & Weather

Snowpack

In Lower Valais, northern Valais and the Bernese Oberland, there is as much snow at high altitudes as usual for this time of year, but less in the other regions. There is particularly little snow on the southern flank of the Alps and at intermediate altitudes on the eastern part of the northern flank of the Alps. At 2000 m, there is 30 to 50 cm of snow on the northern flank of the Alps, 10 to 30 cm in southern Lower Valais, northern Upper Valais, the Gotthard region and northern and central Grisons, and less than 10 cm elsewhere.

Snowpack layer in which the crystals are poorly bonded and the layer has the potential to fail. Typical crystals in dry weak layers causing avalanches are : precipitation particles; surface hoar; faceted crystals; hollow crystals; graupel. Generally >1mm in size, loose grains with few bonds Wet weak layers can be formed by all snow crystal/grain types.EAWS glossary in the Snow deposited on the ground in a multiplicity of layers.EAWS glossary are located in particular on northern and eastern slopes above approximately 2400 m. Particularly in southern Valais and in some parts of the inneralpine regions of Grisons, human activity can cause these layers to fracture and trigger avalanches.

Below approximately 2400 m, the Snow deposited on the ground in a multiplicity of layers.EAWS glossary is moist under the mostly brittle Layer of hard-compacted snow resulting from a melt-freeze process; increases firmness.EAWS glossary; below approximately 2100 m, it is saturated. Isolated wet and gliding avalanches are possible with the sunshine and rising temperatures during the daytime.

Weather review for Friday

It was mostly sunny in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between around +6 °C in the west and +4 °C in the east

Wind

Light to moderate from the west, decreasing during the course of the day

Weather forecast to Saturday

It will be sunny and mild with light winds in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +5 °C

Wind

There will be mostly light southwesterly winds.

Outlook

On Sunday and Monday it will be mostly sunny in the mountains. Clouds will set in from the southwest on Monday afternoon. The southwesterly wind will remain light on Sunday, but will freshen appreciably on Monday. It will remain mild.

The danger of dry avalanches will continue to slowly decrease. In regions with persistent Snowpack layer in which the crystals are poorly bonded and the layer has the potential to fail. Typical crystals in dry weak layers causing avalanches are : precipitation particles; surface hoar; faceted crystals; hollow crystals; graupel. Generally >1mm in size, loose grains with few bonds Wet weak layers can be formed by all snow crystal/grain types.EAWS glossary in particular, persons can still trigger avalanches in places.

The danger of wet and gliding avalanches will increase slightly during the day with the sunshine and rising temperatures.

Source

SLF

Issued

12 Dec 15:32 UTC

Valid until

13 Dec 16:00 UTC

Next update

13 Dec 16:00 UTC

See this region on the map