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Snowpack

The new fallen snow has been very heavily transported by the stormy weather. Large, fairly compact snowdrift accumulations have formed on the leeward slopes and will grow even larger during Friday night. Avalanche fractures are to be expected, mainly within the fresh snow and wind slabs. In places that are generally protected from the wind, the new fallen snow is lying on a rather unfavourable, angular old snow surface. There, avalanches may also start at the transition to the old snowpack. Occasionally, avalanches may also break out deeper in the snowpack in the area of older rain crusts due to the overload of fresh snow and wind slabs. This is particularly the case at altitudes between 2200 and 2600 m. Deeper snowpack layers are usually well compacted.

Weather forecast until Saturday, 23.12.2023

Widespread precipitation will fall during the night, heavy towards the east during the first half of the night. The snowfall level will be between 1000 and 1500 m. It will be dry in the south. During the day, the precipitation will end and it will become increasingly sunny in the west and fairly sunny in the south. It will remain mostly overcast in the east.

New fallen snow

From Friday afternoon to Saturday morning, the following amounts of fresh snow are expected above approximately 1800 m:

• Northern Alpine Ridge from the Jungfrau region to the Alpstein, Prättigau, Silvretta, Samnaun: 30 to 50 cm, locally more;
• other regions of the northern flank of the Alps, northern Lower Valais, northern Grisons and the Lower Engadine: 10 to 20 cm, less elsewhere, dry on the central part of the southern flank of the Alps.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between -2 °C in the north and 0 °C in the south.

Wind

Winds will be strong to storm force from the west to northwest, easing somewhat in the afternoon.

Weather review for Friday, 22.12.2023

It was very cloudy with persistent snowfall. The snowfall level was between 1600 and 1800 m during Thursday night, dropping to 1200 to 1500 m. Only in the far south was it dry and sunny.

New fallen snow

From Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow were recorded above approximately 2000 m:

• Northern Alpine Ridge from the Jungfrau region to the Alpstein, Silvretta, Samnaun: 30 to 50 cm;
• Vaud Alps, rest of the Northern Alpine Ridge, rest of the Gotthard region, rest of Grisons excluding the southern valleys: 20 to 30 cm;
• elsewhere 10 to 20 cm, dry in the far south.

Temperature

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

Wind

There was a strong to storm force wind blowing from the west to northwest.

Trend until Monday, 25.12.2023

On Sunday and Monday it will be fairly sunny and very mild. A little precipitation may fall during Sunday night into Monday. The snowfall level will be at 2600 m. A sometimes strong northwesterly wind will blow at high altitudes.

The danger of dry avalanches will decrease. Gliding avalanches, some of them large, are to be expected, especially in areas with a lot of new fallen snow.