Mattmark

Snowpack

The new snow and wind slabs from the last week overlay a mostly compact old snowpack, containing various crusts and, between them, layers with a faceted crystal structure. In the regions exposed to heavier precipitation in the south, the large amount of new snow has now settled and consolidated quite nicely. The older wind slab layers have also largely stabilised in the north. In between is a transitional area where there has been some snowfall and where, primarily in the inneralpine regions, avalanches are possible in places in the old snowpack.

Gliding avalanches are still possible, primarily on east-, south- and west-facing slopes below approximately 2400 m and more rarely on north-facing slopes. These may occasionally be large.

Weather forecast until Friday, 01.03.2024

It will be very cloudy with precipitation. The snowfall level will drop from 1700 m to 1400 m.

New snow

Until Friday afternoon, the following amounts of snow will fall above approximately 2000 m:

• Main Alpine Ridge from Val Ferret to the Lukmanier Pass and south of this: 20 to 30 cm; on the Main Alpine Ridge in Upper Valais on the border with Italy: 40 cm in some localities;
• elsewhere: widely 10 to 20 cm; less in Lower Engadine.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between -3 °C in the north and -1 °C in the south.

Wind

• There will be a moderate southerly wind during the night.
• Winds will be weak during the day.

Weather review for Thursday, 29.02.2024

It was fairly sunny in the north and inneralpine regions and overcast in the south.

New snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +5 °C in the north and 0 °C in the south.

Wind

There was a southeasterly wind:

• this was strong at high altitudes on the Northern Alpine Ridge in the late morning;
• it was weak to moderate elsewhere.

Trend until Sunday, 03.03.2024Saturday

It will be fairly sunny in the north and very cloudy on the Main Alpine Ridge and south of this with some snowfall above approximately 1400 m. The most snow (around 10 to 20 cm) will fall on the Main Alpine Ridge in Upper Valais as well as in Ticino.

The avalanche danger will not change significantly.

Sunday

There will be heavy precipitation in the south, falling as snow above 1000 m to 1300 m. There will be 50 cm to 80 cm of snowfall on the Main Alpine Ridge from Val Ferret to the Splügen Pass, and up to 100 cm on the Main Alpine Ridge in Upper Valais. The storm-force southerly wind will cause substantial drifts of the new snow. In the north, clear spells characterised by foehn winds will see it remaining largely dry.

Danger level 4 (high) should be expected on the Main Alpine Ridge in Upper Valais as well as in western Ticino. Avalanches may be triggered in the old snowpack, meaning that very large avalanches are anticipated, making their way into the valleys along the usual avalanche paths. Danger level 4 (high) may also be reached on the Main Alpine Ridge in Lower Valais, in the other regions of the central part of the Main Alpine Ridge, in eastern Ticino and in Moesano. Further north, the avalanche danger will increase slightly with fresh wind slabs.