Gruyère

Snowpack

During the course of the night, intense snowfall and strong winds will cause easily triggered wind slabs to develop in all regions. These may become large in the regions exposed to heavier precipitation in the north and west. New snow and wind slabs will be deposited on a metamorphosed surface of the snowpack, particularly on the western, northern and eastern slopes above 1800 m that are more protected from the wind. In all regions, there are also angular weak layers deeper in the snowpack. Avalanches can be triggered in these weak layers and become large.

There is still very little snow on the southern flank of the Alps, in the Engadine and in central Grisons, meaning that ski tours are still hardly possible.

Weather forecast until Friday

It will snow across a wide area during Thursday night, with heavy snowfall in the north. The snowfall level will drop rapidly from 1800 m to low altitudes. During the day some snow will continue to fall, especially in the north and east. It will be quite sunny in Valais and the south, otherwise it will remain cloudy.

Fresh snow

Between Thursday afternoon and Friday afternoon above 1800 m:

• Northern flank of the Alps, Lower Valais: 20 to 40 cm, and locally up to 50 cm;
• Northern Upper Valais, Gotthard region, northern and central Grisons, Engadine north of the Inn, Bernina region: 15 to 30 cm
• Other regions: 5 to 15 cm, and locally up to 20 cm;

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between -9 °C in the north and -4 °C in the south.

Wind

• Moderate wind, strong wind from northwest to north during the night
• In the high Alpine regions and on the southern flank of the Alps: strong to stormy northerly winds

Weather review for Thursday

In the morning, precipitation set in in the west and spread to the east and south during the course of the day. The snowfall level was 2000 metres in the west and 1800 metres elsewhere. It slowly dropped in the afternoon.

Fresh snow

Above 2200 m until Thursday afternoon:

• The extreme west of Lower Valais: 5 to 15 cm
• Elsewhere: less, or it will remain dry.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +2 °C.

Wind

There will be a moderate to strong southwesterly wind.

OutlookSaturday

It will be cloudy in the north. Some precipitation may fall above 1000 metres, especially in the Jura. It will be partly sunny in Valais and mostly sunny in the south. There will be a moderate to strong westerly to northwesterly wind.

The avalanche danger will decrease slowly. Conditions remain precarious for snow sports away from secured areas.

Sunday

Precipitation will return to the north during the night. During the day, there will be persistent and heavy precipitation on the northern flank of the Alps, in Valais and in northern Grisons. The snowfall level will be 1200 m. There will be a stormy wind from the west. In the south it will be cloudy but dry.

The avalanche danger will increase significantly across a wide area. Naturally triggered avalanches are to be expected on the northern flank of the Alps, in Valais and in northern Grisons. These may be large. In the south, the avalanche situation will hardly change.