Grimselpass

Snowpack

Since Good Friday, there has been heavy and sometimes intense precipitation on and to the south of the Main Alpine Ridge. Above approximately 2000 m, 60 to 120 cm fell widely, with up to 200 cm of snow falling in the regions exposed to heavier precipitation from Simplon via southern Goms and Bedretto to the Valle Maggia. In the north, persistent storm-force foehn winds displaced the snow for days on end. On Easter Monday in particular, the precipitation also spread to the north, especially from the Aletsch region via the Urn Alps to the Glarus Alps and also in central Grisons and Lower Engadine. On Sunday and Monday, numerous large and very large avalanches capable of reaching the valley bottom occurred in the regions exposed to heavier precipitation. As the precipitation eases and the consequences of falling temperatures set in, a significant decline in avalanche activity is now expected. However, if avalanches still occur, they can become very large.

Deeper layers in the snowpack contain hardly any distinct weak layers. Below approximately 2200 m, the snowpack is wet due to the rain.

In the south, gliding avalanches are expected. These can occasionally become very large due to the high volumes of snow. Gliding avalanches are more rare in the north but they can also be large here in isolated cases.

Weather forecast until Tuesday, 02.04.2024

In the north, there will still be some precipitation during Monday night into Tuesday and in the morning. The snowfall level will drop below 1500 m. During the day, it will become increasingly sunny from the west. It will be mostly sunny in the south.

New snow

From Monday afternoon until the end of the precipitation at midday on Tuesday, the following amounts of fresh snow are expected above approximately 1500 m:

• extreme west of Lower Valais: 15 to 30 cm;
• rest of Lower Valais, northern flank of the Alps and northern Grisons: 5 to 15 cm, with a few centimetres of snow elsewhere and the south remaining mostly dry.

Temperature

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

Wind

• There will be a moderate to strong westerly to southwesterly wind on the northern flank of the Alps and in Upper Valais.
• Otherwise there will be a mostly light to moderate southwesterly wind.

Weather review for Easter Monday, 01.04.2024

It was mostly very cloudy with some precipitation. The snowfall level was between 2000 and 2500 m in northern and central Grisons, and widely between 1800 and 2000 m elsewhere. In the afternoon, it fell to around 1500 m in the west. Drier weather moved in from the west in the afternoon and it became increasingly brighter in Lower Valais.

New snow

From Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow were recorded above approximately 2200 m, and above approximately 2500 m in northern and central Grisons:

• Main Alpine Ridge from the Simplon region to the Bernina region, Upper Engadine, northern and central Ticino, Moesano, Val Bregaglia, Puschlavo: 60 to 90 cm;
• Aletsch region, Grimsel Pass, Susten, Maderanertal, southern Glarus Alps, central Grisons, Lower Engadine and Val Müstair: 30 to 60 cm;
• elsewhere: mostly 10 to 20 cm, even less in the northwest.

Temperature

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

Wind

• There was still a storm-force foehn wind in the north during the night.
• The wind was moderate to strong during the day in the north, otherwise there were weak to moderate westerly to southwesterly winds.

Trend until Thursday, 04.04.2024

On Wednesday, it will be cloudy with bright spells, with little snow above 1500 to 1800 m. There will be a moderate to strong westerly wind in the north. On Thursday, it will be partly sunny and mild in the north, and mostly sunny and mild in the south.

The danger of dry avalanches will fall, significantly in the south and only slowly in the north.

On Thursday in particular, the danger of wet avalanches is expected to rise as the day progresses as a result of solar radiation and warmer daytime temperatures. Large wet snow avalanches are possible, especially in the regions exposed to a lot of new snow in the south.

In addition, individual gliding avalanches are expected in the north, with numerous such avalanches expected in the south. These can be large, and those occurring in the south may be very large in isolated cases.