Waadtländer Voralpen

Snowpack

With a lot of fresh snowfall in Valais and on the northern flank of the Alps and strong, sometimes stormy westerly to northerly winds, extensive and sometimes large snowdrift accumulations will form during this period of precipitation. These new and drifted snow layers are lying on an unfavourable old snowpack in many places. Particularly on western, northern and eastern slopes, there are widespread pronounced weak layers in the snowpack where avalanches may start.

There is still little snow for the time of year on the southern flank of the Alps, in central Grisons and in the Engadine. There, the thin old snowpack is mainly completely faceted and loose. New and drifted snow coverage is only light.

Weather forecast to Tuesday, 24.12.2024

Snowfall will continue in the north during the night. In the west, the snowfall will end on Tuesday morning, after which the sky will clear and conditions will become quite sunny. In the east, snowfall will not end until the afternoon and there will be bright intervals in inneralpine regions. It will be mostly sunny on the southern flank of the Alps.

Fresh snow

Snow will fall down to low altitudes. Snowfall to Tuesday afternoon:

• 20 to 40 cm on the northern Alpine ridge from the eastern Bernese Oberland to the Alpstein region and in northern Grisons, up to 50 cm in the main accumulation areas between the Hasli valley and the Glarus Alps
• otherwise 10 to 20 cm in many places, less in the Upper Visp valleys, in southern Grisons and on the southern flank of the Alps, dry in the far south

Temperature

• in the middle of the day at 2000 m between -8 °C in the north and -5 °C in the south
• rising in the afternoon

Wind

• moderate, often stronger at high altitudes, occasionally stormy on the main Alpine Ridge
• on the southern flank of the Alps, strong foehn wind from the north down into the valleys

Weather review for Monday, 23.12.2024

Cloud cover was mainly heavy and, after a break in precipitation during the night, heavy snowfall resumed, primarily on the northern flank of the Alps, particularly in the west. There were bright intervals in the Engadine and in the far south.

Fresh snow

Snow fell down to low altitudes. Snowfall at altitude:

• northern Lower Valais, Urn and Glarus Alps: 80 to 100 cm
• rest of the northern Alpine ridge from the western Lower Valais to the St Gallen Alps and neighbouring regions of the northern flank of the Alps, southern Lower Valais, Goms: 40 to 80 cm
• Jura, southern Upper Valais and the rest of the northern flank of the Alps: 20 to 40 cm
• rest of northern Ticino, rest of northern and central Grisons: 10 to 20 cm
• further south: less precipitation or dry

Temperature

In the middle of the day at 2000 m around -7 °C

Wind

The wind changed from westerly to northerly overnight to Monday

• strong to stormy in the High Jura, on the northern Alpine ridge and on the main Alpine ridge
• otherwise moderate to strong at altitude

Outlook

Wednesday and Thursday will be mostly sunny in the mountains. There will be a moderate bise wind on Wednesday which will subside on Thursday. The temperature will increase appreciably. On Thursday, the zero-degree level will be around 3000 m. The danger of dry avalanches will slowly decrease. With the increasingly mild weather, moist snow slides and avalanches are to be expected on steep sunny slopes and from rocky terrain on Wednesday afternoon and especially on Thursday.