Saas Fee

Moderate avalanche danger will be encountered over a wide area

Moderate avalanche danger will be encountered over a wide area

In very isolated cases avalanches can be triggered in the faceted old snow and reach medium size in some cases. Apart from the danger of being buried, restraint should be exercised as well in view of the danger of avalanches sweeping people along and giving rise to falls.

The snowpack structure on the northern flank of the Alps is favourable over widespread areas. Only in isolated cases can avalanches be triggered in a weak layer above or beneath the rain crust which formed at the end of December. On the other hand, from the central Valais over the northern Ticino as far as Grisons weak layers are evident more deeply embedded inside the snowpack. Nevertheless, no further avalanches have triggered from these layers for more than a week. As a result of solar radiation and daytime warming cycles, gliding avalanches and loose-snow avalanches are possible on the northern flank of the Alps on very steep south-facing slopes more than anywhere else.

Following a night of clear skies it was quite sunny in the mountains during the daytime. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between +4 °C in the western regions and +2 °C in the eastern regions. Wind: Jura region, Prealps, high alpine regions: moderate to strong-velocity winds were blowing from easterly to northeasterly directions, in the other regions of Switzerland winds were predominantly light. Following a night of clear skies, it is expected to be quite sunny in the mountains during the daytime. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, +6 °C. Wind: Winds will be light to moderate from easterly to northeasterly directions.

Following nights of clear skies it will be sunny in the mountains during the daytime. Particularly on Saturday it will be quite mild once again. The danger of dry-snow avalanches will continue to decrease incrementally. As a result of the mild temperatures and solar radiation, wet-snow and gliding avalanches are possible on very steep sun-exposed slopes.