Génépi

A favourable avalanche situation will prevail

A favourable avalanche situation will prevail

Faceted weak layers exist deep in the snowpack. In very isolated cases avalanches can be released in the old snowpack and reach medium size. This applies especially on very steep north and east facing slopes above approximately 2200 m in little used terrain. The avalanche prone locations are very rare but are barely recognisable, even to the trained eye. Very steep shady slopes are to be traversed by snow sport participants one at a time.

In southern Valais and the inneralpine and southern regions of Grisons, weak layers exist deep in the snowpack. Although these are very severe in some places, no further avalanche releases in such layers have been reported since the end of February. In the other regions the bonding of the snowpack is more favourable. Clear skies during the night will give rise to a strong crust on the surface of steep south facing slopes up to high altitude zones. On the northern flank of the Alps in particular, individual gliding avalanches can occur. Exceptionally little snow is lying in the south; many measuring stations are recording the lowest ever amounts for this time of year. In view of the thin and in many cases faceted snowpack, on glaciers there is currently an elevated risk of falling into a crevasse, especially in the Zermatt and Saas Fee regions.

The night was clear in the north. Dense cloud built up on the southern flank of the Alps. During the day it was cloudy in the south. A few snowflakes fell in some localities. Otherwise it was quite sunny in the mountains despite high-altitude cloudbanks. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m: about -1 °C in the west, -3 °C in the east, and -8 °C in the south Wind: Mostly light, occasionally moderate at elevated altitudes, from the northeast After a clear night, it will be sunny during the day. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m: about -2 °C Wind: Mostly light

The night skies will be clear. Thursday will be sunny, and on Friday high-altitude cloud will build up from the southwest as the day progresses. In the north, a foehn wind will develop on Friday afternoon; in the south, a little precipitation cannot be ruled out. The avalanche situation will remain favourable. Isolated locations prone to dry avalanches are to be found in particular on very steep shady slopes in the inneralpine regions. In particular north of a line between the Rhone and Rhine, gliding avalanches can occur.