Saint-Cergue

A widespread favourable avalanche situation will prevail

A widespread favourable avalanche situation will prevail

Very isolated avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular in extreme terrain. Restraint should be exercised because avalanches can sweep people along and give rise to falls.

In the southern Valais as well as in the inneralpine and southern regions of Grisons, there are weak layers which are embedded inside the snowpack. From these layers, isolated large-sized avalanches were triggered by persons during the last week, in some cases by remote triggering. This week there have been no such triggerings reported thus far. In the remaining regions of Switzerland the snowpack layering is more favourable. Nevertheless, stability tests show fractures in the near-surface layers also in some places in those regions. On the northern flank of the Alps more than anywhere else, gliding avalanches continue to be possible in isolated cases. In the southern regions there is unusually little snow on the ground, at numerous measurement stations less than has ever before been measured at this juncture of the season. As a consequence of the thin, often expansively metamorphosed (faceted) snowpack there is currently heightened danger of falling into crevices on the glaciers, in particular in the regions of Zermatt and Saas Fee.

Following a night of partially clear skies it was sunny over widespread areas during the daytime hours. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between -2 °C in the western regions and -7 °C in the eastern regions. Wind: Winds at high altitudes were blowing at moderate strength from northerly directions during the nocturnal hours, otherwise blowing predominantly at light strength. Following a night of clear skies it will be sunny during the daytime hours. In the furthermost southern regions skies will be overcast during the night and in early morning. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, -7 °C. Wind: Winds will be blowing mostly at light strength, at moderate strength in high alpine regions, from northeasterly directions.

Following nights of clear skies it will be sunny during each day. As a result of predominantly light northeasterly winds it will be relatively cool, somewhat warmer on Monday in the western and the southern regions. The avalanche situation is predominantly favourable. The persistent weak layer which is a latent threat will persist, however.