Waadtländer Voralpen

Snowpack

Snow depths are well above average in the west and north, with more than twice as much snow as usual for this time of year in places. In other regions, there is a widespread 50 to 100% of the usual amount of snow and only 30 to 60% on the southern flank of the Alps.

Deep layers of the snowpack are faceted and weak, especially on shady slopes above approximately 2400 m and generally in high Alpine regions. In regions with deep snow in the west and north, these weak layers are now thickly overlaid and are therefore no longer so easily triggered by winter sports participants. However, any avalanches triggered in these deep layers can still become large. In regions with little fresh snow, avalanches are easier to trigger in deep layers of old snow and will usually be of medium size.

Small to medium gliding avalanches are still expected in the west and north.

Weather forecast to Sunday

Clouds will rapidly gather overnight to Sunday. There will be brighter intervals during the day, especially in northern and central Grisons and Lower Engadine. Elsewhere it will be mostly cloudy. In the afternoon, light snowfall will set in in the north-west above approximately 1400 m.

Fresh snow

A few centimetres in the west on Sunday afternoon

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around 0°C

Wind

The southwesterly wind will be moderate in the west, otherwise mostly light. In the Jura, there will be a strong westerly wind at times in the afternoon.

Weather review for Saturday

Overnight to Saturday, a few centimetres of snow fell in the east above approximately 1500 m. During the day, conditions were sunny in the west and south and increasingly sunny in the east.

Fresh snow

A few centimetres in the east, otherwise dry

Temperature

Around 0°C at midday at 2000 m in the east and +3°C in the west and south

Wind

Mostly light from westerly directions

Outlook

Around 5 cm of snow will fall in the north overnight to Monday. The snowfall level will drop to 900 m. Some clouds will remain during the day along the Prealps and in the east while conditions will be mostly sunny in the mountains. On Tuesday, conditions will often be cloudy on the southern flank of the Alps but elsewhere mostly sunny. The zero-degree level will be around 2000 m. There will be a light southerly wind on both days.

Avalanche risk will continue to fall. Gliding avalanches are still possible in regions with deep snow in the west and north.