Waadtländer Voralpen

A generally favourable avalanche situation will prevail. Fresh wind slabs require caution

A generally favourable avalanche situation will prevail. Fresh wind slabs require caution

Only a little snow is lying. Individual avalanche prone locations are to be found in particular on extremely steep shady slopes. Apart from the danger of being buried, restraint should be exercised in particular in view of the danger of avalanches sweeping people along and giving rise to falls.

The snowpack surfaces on north-facing slopes which until now have been relatively wind-protected are often expansively metamorphosed (faceted) and loose. Particularly in those places the strong to storm-strength northerly to northwesterly winds on Friday will be able to transport the snow. In the eastern regions, furthermore, the 5 to 10 cm of fresh fallen snow can also be transported. Freshly generated, predominantly small-sized snowdrift accumulations are prone to triggering on shady slopes more than anywhere else. Steep south-facing slopes are encrusted. At high altitudes, as well as in general in ridgeline terrain and in pass areas, the snowpack surface often shows striking signs of wind impact from northerly winds. More deeply embedded inside the snowpack in the Jura region, on the northern flank of the Alps and in the western part of the Lower Valais, there are soft, faceted layers evident in the snowpack, particularly in the vicinity of the rain crust which developed at the end of December. Nevertheless, these layers are hardy prone to triggering at this juncture. From the central part of the Valais over the northern Ticino as far as Grisons, the entire snowpack is often expansively metamorphosed (faceted) and riddled by thin melt-freeze crusts. Increasingly, you sink on your skis down to the ground. In isolated cases, avalanches can be triggered at ground level in the old snow on very steep shady slopes in these regions more than anywhere else.

Nighttime skies were intermittently overcast. During the daytime in the western and the southern regions it was predominantly sunny, in the eastern regions rather sunny. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between +2 °C in the northern regions and +5 °C in the southern regions. Wind: Winds were northerly to northwesterly, - blowing predominantly at light strength in the western regions, at moderate strength in some places at high altitudes; - blowing in eastern and southern regions predominantly at moderate strength, at strong velocity in some places at high altitudes, slackening off during the daytime. During the nocturnal hours on Thursday, cloud cover will move in and cover the skies on the northern flank of the Alps and in Grisons. Particularly during the early part of the day on Friday, there will be little snow in the central and eastern sectors of the northern flank of the Alps, in northern and central Grisons, as well as in the Engadine. Subsequently from the west it will become increasingly sunny. In the central and southern parts of the Valais and on the southern flank of the Alps it will be predominantly sunny. Temperatures will temporarily drop to a significant degree, especially in the eastern regions. Fresh snow: The snowfall level will descend down to low lying areas. By Friday afternoon the following amounts of fresh snow are anticipated: - central and eastern sectors of the northern flank of the Alps, northern Grisons: 5 to 10 cm; - central Grisons, Engadine: up to 5 cm; - in the other regions of Switzerland it is expected to remain dry. Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between -3 °C in the Valais and on the southern flank of the Alps and -10 °C in the northeastern regions. Wind: Winds will be blowing at strong to storm strength from northerly to northwesterly directions.

On Saturday on the northern flank of the Alps it will be quite sunny, in the remaining regions of Switzerland predominantly sunny. During the nocturnal hours on Saturday and on Sunday morning, a small amount of snowfall is anticipated down to approximately 1200 m on the northern flank of the Alps and in northern Grisons. Later on, skies will clear up and there will be some sunny intervals. In the remaining regions of Switzerland it will be predominantly sunny. The northerly to northwesterly winds will be blowing at moderate strength, at high altitudes at strong velocity. The avalanche danger levels are expected to increase somewhat from region to region.