Obersaxen - Safiental

Fresh and drifted snow ae deposited on the northern flank of the Alps on a snow surface which is often transformed and loose on wind-protected shady slopes, especially at high altitudes. Elsewhere, the snow surface has often been shaped by the wind and is frequently frozen solid below 2400 m.

On the Main Alpine Ridge in Valais and on the central part of the southern flank of the Alps, the fresh snow from Christmas and snowdrift accumulations are lying on a thin but weak old snowpack of faceted crystals. Isolated avalanches may still be triggered in the old snowpack in these regions.

The snowpack in central Valais, northern Upper Valais and throughout Grisons consists of faceted crystals and embedded crusts. There is a thin, hard layer of drifted snow on the surface in places and a melt-freeze crust on steep south-facing slopes.

There was broken to heavy cloud cover to the north of the Main Alpine Ridge and a few centimetres of snow fell in some locations on the northern flank of the Alps. Further south, conditions were mostly sunny.

Fresh snow

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Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between -8°C in the north and -4°C in the south

Wind

Mostly moderate from the west, rising to strong especially on the northern flank of the Alps and in Valais at high altitudes

Overnight to Saturday, some snow will fall on the northern flank of the Alps and in northern Grisons, while conditions will remain mainly dry further south. Some clouds will remain during the day, especially along the Prealps. Conditions will be mostly sunny in other regions and later also in the Prealps.

Fresh snow

By Saturday morning, the following amounts of snow will fall down to low altitudes:

• northern Alpine ridge from the Hasli valley to the Alpstein region: 10 to 20 cm
• rest of the northern flank of the Alps, northern Grisons: 5 to 10 cm
• further south: less or dry

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between -10°C in the north and -6°C in the south

Wind

From the west

• stormy at times during the night, especially in the Bernese Oberland and Valais at high altitudes
• elsewhere and during the day moderate to strong

Both days will be sunny but cold in the mountains. The northerly wind will be mostly light.

The unfavourable snowpack structure means that avalanche risk will decrease only very slowly.