Zervreila

Fresh and drifted snow from the last four days has been deposited on an old snow surface which is faceted in many places or on surface hoar, especially on wind-protected shady slopes. The connection to the old surface of the snowpack is therefore still unfavourable in many places. Deeper layers of the snowpack are relatively well consolidated in the extreme west of Lower Valais and on the northern flank of the Alps. South of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine, the entire snowpack is often faceted and loose. In these regions, avalanches can start deeper in the snowpack.

Numerous natural avalanches, as well as various avalanches triggered by human activity, some remotely over relatively large distances, are evidence of the current widespread instability of the snowpack. Dangerously large avalanches can still be easily triggered by human activity, especially on the northern flank of the Alps, in Valais and in northern Grisons.

Snow stopped falling in the north overnight to Sunday. During the day, it was sunny in Valais and on the southern flank of the Alps. In the north and east, it also became increasingly sunny as the day progressed.

Fresh snow

Overnight to Sunday, some more snow fell in the north, most of it in the Glarus Alps, with amounts of between 20 and 40 cm. This means that the following total amounts of snow have fallen above 1400 m from the start of the precipitation on Wednesday evening until Sunday morning:

• Northern Alpine Ridge from the Diablerets to the Aletsch region, extreme west of Lower Valais, Glarus Alps: 80 to 120 cm
• Rest of the northern flank of the Alps apart from the Prealps, southern Valais, Gotthard region, northern Grisons: 40 to 70 cm
• Jura, Prealps: 30 to 50 cm
• Lower Engadine north of the Inn: 20 to 40 cm
• Rest of northern Ticino, Lower Engadine south of the Inn, central Grisons, Upper Engadine: 15 to 30 cm
• Further south: less or dry

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around -9°C

Wind

• On the southern flank of the Alps and generally in the high Alpine regions: moderate to strong from west to north, otherwise mainly light
• Subsiding over the course of the day

There will be some snowfall in the north overnight to Monday and during the course of the day. On Monday, conditions will be mainly cloudy in the north and very sunny in the south.

Fresh snow

Between Sunday evening and Monday afternoon above 1000 m:

• Northern Alpine Ridge, Valais, northern Prättigau, Silvretta: 5 to 15 cm
• Elsewhere a few cm, dry on the southern flank of the Alps

Temperature

At noon at 2000 m, between +2 °C in the west and -2 °C in the east and south

Wind

• Jura, Prealps, and generally at high altitudes: moderate with occasionally strong westerly winds in exposed locations
• Elsewhere mostly light

On Tuesday, it will be quite sunny in the north and often cloudy in the south. On Wednesday it will be brighter in the inneralpine regions, while elsewhere it will be mostly cloudy. The wind will be mostly moderate at high altitudes on Tuesday and strong at times on Wednesday. The zero-degree level on Tuesday will be around 2600 m in the west and north and around 2000 m elsewhere.

The danger of dry avalanches will continue to decrease. However, especially in those regions to the south of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine, the weak old snowpack means that this decrease will be only very slow. Given the rising temperatures and sunny conditions, moist snow slides and avalanches are to be expected on very steep slopes. There will be scarcely any change in avalanche danger on the southern flank of the Alps.