Conthey-Fully

Snowpack

In the north, Saturday's foehn wind caused the transportation of loose old snow, especially on shady slopes. The resulting snowdrift accumulations are often hard and in some places are lying on a rather unfavourable old snow surface of faceted crystals. In the south, the fresh snowfall was accompanied by relatively little wind.

In the last few days, only a few avalanches were triggered deep in the old snowpack. Nevertheless, caution is necessary south of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine because there are still weak layers in the lower part of the snowpack. These are most pronounced on shady slopes protected from the wind in Ticino, central Grisons, the Engadine and the southern valleys of Grisons. If an avalanche is triggered there, it can sweep the entire snowpack away with it and become dangerously large.

Only a few gliding avalanches have been reported in the last few days. However, some of these were large.

Weather forecast to Monday

Conditions will be cloudy with bright spells primarily in southern Valais, on the eastern part of the northern flank of the Alps and in Grisons. In the Jura, a little snow will fall above approximately 1300 m.

Fresh snow

About 5 cm on the highest Jura peaks

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between 0 °C in the north and -3 °C in the south

Wind

• Moderate to strong southwesterly on the western part of the northern flank of the Alps at high altitudes
• Elsewhere mostly light

Weather review for Sunday

Conditions were quite sunny in the west, otherwise mostly cloudy with bright spells in the east and precipitation in the south. The snowfall level rose to around 1200 m.

Fresh snow

Precipitation began on Saturday morning and continued into Sunday afternoon, with the following amounts falling:

• Simplon area, southern Goms, Ticino, Moesano, Val Bregaglia, Bernina area and Val Poschiavo: 15 to 30 cm
• rest of the main Alpine ridge from Monte Rosa to the Engadine, rest of the Upper Engadine: 5 to 15 cm
• elsewhere: mostly dry

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around -2 °C

Wind

• Still an occasionally strong foehn wind in the north on Saturday evening
• Otherwise moderate, mostly light southerly wind in the south

Outlook

On Tuesday the east will see some bright spells, but otherwise conditions will be very cloudy. On Wednesday, it will be cloudy with relatively long bright spells in the north and inneralpine regions and very cloudy in the south. On both days, a little precipitation may fall locally, with this taking the form of snow above approximately 1500 m. The southwesterly winds will be mostly light.

Avalanche danger will decrease, but only slowly south of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine due to the weak snowpack structure.