untere Maggiatäler

Snowpack

The snowpack is characterised by stormy weather, warmth and sometimes rain: Windward locations such as peaks, ridgelines and crests are often blown off down to the ground, or the crusts from November are blown off. There are large, often compact and hard wind slabs (accumulations of snow) at a distance from ridgelines. The surface of the snowpack is also often brittle. The snowpack structure is generally favourable. Exceptions are, on the one hand, slopes that are highly protected from the wind, where new snow and snowdrift from the past week are lying on top of a loose surface of old snow with faceted grains and, on the other hand, weak layers around the crusts from November, where these are only thinly covered. Dry slab avalanches, which may become larger, are most likely to be released in these areas.

As a consequence of daytime warming and incoming radiation, moist snow slides from the rocks are possible on steep south-facing slopes. The activity of gliding avalanches is increasing, especially on steep south-facing slopes. However, these are also possible in the other aspects.

Weather forecast until Tuesday, 26.12.2023

During the night and in the late morning there will be occasional thick clouds; in the afternoon it will be mostly sunny.

New fallen snow

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Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +5 °C in the west and south and +2 °C in the east.

Wind

The wind will blow from a westerly direction:

• moderate to strong at the northern flank of the Alps at high altitudes and generally in the high Alpine regions;
• weak to moderate in other regions.

Weather review for Christmas, 25.12.2023

Some precipitation fell during Sunday night at the northern flank of the Alps and in the northern parts of Grisons. The snowfall level climbed to around 2600 m in Grisons and to around 2200 m at the northern flank of the Alps. It was mostly sunny during the day.

New fallen snow

The following amounts of new snow fell above approximately 2800 m:

• Urn Alps and Glarus Alps, northern Grisons, northern Lower Engadine: 5 to 10 cm;
• elsewhere less, or it remained dry.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +5 °C in the north and +8 °C in the south.

Wind

The wind blew from a westerly direction:

• moderate to strong in the Jura and at the northern flank of the Alps, dropping away somewhat as the day progressed;
• otherwise light to moderate.

Trend until Thursday, 28.12.2023Wednesday

After a clear night, it will be sunny and very mild, with a zero-degree level around 3300 m. Moderate and strong winds will blow from the southwest, and in the alpine valleys of the northern flank of the Alps there will be foehn weather.

The danger of dry avalanches will continue to decrease. Gliding avalanches are still expected, with even large ones anticipated in regions with a lot of snow.

Thursday

At the northern flanks of the Alps and in Valais it will be increasingly cloudy with little precipitation as the day progresses. In the east and south, it will be partially cloudy and probably dry. It will be appreciably less mild, with a temperature of 0 °C at 2000 m.

The danger of dry avalanches will continue to decrease. Gliding avalanches are still expected, with even large ones anticipated in regions with a lot of snow.