Martigny-Verbier

Snowpack

The snowpack is pretty favourable over widespread areas of the north, but isolated avalanches may still be triggered in near-surface layers. In southern Valais, Ticino and Grisons, there are still faceted layers deeper in the snowpack, some of which are still prone to triggering, especially from the Davos region via Lower Engadine to Val Müstair, where a few avalanches have been triggered in the old snowpack over the last week. There have also been some isolated avalanches on the Main Alpine Ridge in Valais. With northerly winds, small snowdrift accumulations will arise locally at higher altitudes.

With warmth and sunshine, the snowpack is becoming increasingly water-saturated. On southern slopes it is water-saturated up into the high Alpine regions and on eastern and western slopes the majority is water-saturated up to around 2800 m. North-facing slopes are water-saturated to around 1800 m, with the surface moist up to around 2500 m. In areas with a weak snowpack structure, weak layers deeper in the snowpack are starting to become saturated for the first time. As a result, moist slab avalanches may occur spontaneously and may in places also be triggered by people.

Overnight to Sunday, a melt-freeze crust will form, which will be strong in places. As daytime temperatures rise in the sunshine, this will soften rapidly as the day progresses and the risk of wet and gliding avalanches will increase.

Weather forecast to Sunday

Sunday night will see clear intervals, with moving broken cloud. Sunday will start with low stratus cloud in the east, where temperatures will be significantly cooler. Elsewhere conditions will be mostly sunny. In the afternoon, clouds will gather in southern Ticino.

Fresh snow

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Temperature

At midday at 2000 m

• North: between +4 °C in the west and 0 °C in the east
• South: +5 °C

Wind

• Moderate to strong northerly to northeasterly at higher altitudes and in the upper Alpine valleys in the south, elsewhere light to moderate
• Moderate to strong Bise wind in the Prealps as the day progresses

Weather review for Saturday

Conditions were sunny and mild.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +6 °C in the north and +8 °C in the south

Wind

Light overnight, light to moderate during the day from northerly directions

Outlook for Monday and Tuesday

After mostly clear nights, conditions will be sunny on both days. The zero-degree level will be between 2400 m in the west and 2000 m in the east. On Monday winds will remain moderate to strong at higher altitudes in the south and east, elsewhere they will be light to moderate.

The risk of dry avalanches will slowly decrease. As daytime temperatures rise in the sunshine, the risk of wet avalanches will increase during the day.