Waadtländer Voralpen

Considerable avalanche danger will be encountered in some regions

Considerable avalanche danger will be encountered in some regions

As a consequence of new snow and a moderate wind from westerly directions, further wind slabs will form. The fresh and older wind slabs represent the main danger. Single snow sport participants can release avalanches in some places, including medium-sized ones. The avalanche prone locations are sometimes covered with new snow and are therefore difficult to recognise. Careful route selection is required. Below approximately 2000 m small to medium-sized gliding avalanches are possible.

The snowdrift accumulations generated over the last few days are still prone to triggering in places, particularly on north-facing slopes. On Friday as a consequence of fresh fallen snow and northwesterly winds, further snowdrift accumulations will be generated. From the southern Valais over the northern Ticino as far as the inneralpine regions of Grisons, weak layers threaten from inside the snowpack. During the last few days in these regions, several large-sized avalanches triggered from deeply embedded layers of the snowpack which were triggered by persons. In the northern regions, isolated gliding avalanches continue to be possible.

Following a night of predominantly clear skies it was partly sunny to begin with on Thursday, accompanied by some cloudbanks. During the course of the day, heavy cloud cover moved in from the west. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between -2 °C in the western regions and 0 °C in the eastern regions. Wind: - Winds in the northern regions were blowing at moderate strength at high altitudes, in some places at strong velocity from southwesterly directions, in the upper Alpine valleys there was foehn wind blowing temporarily; - in the southern Valais and in the Ticino, winds were blowing at light to moderate strength from southerly directions. Nighttime skies on Thursday will be clear in the southern regions, in the other parts of Switzerland predominantly overcast accompanied by shower-like precipitation. The snowfall level will rapidly descend from 1300 m down to low lying areas. During the daytime on Friday in the northern regions, skies will be overcast to start with, accompanied by final snowfall. Subsequently, skies will clear up for a brief spell. During the afternoon in the northern and the eastern regions, showers will set in once again. In the Valais it will be partly sunny, on the southern flank of the Alps predominantly sunny. Fresh snow: Between Thursday evening and Friday midday, the following amounts of fresh snow are expected above approximately 1300 m: - regions north of an imaginary Rhine-Rhone line, northern Prättigau, Silvretta: 5 to 10 cm; as much as 15 cm on the northern Alpine Ridge; - in the remaining regions of Switzerland, only a few centimetres; on the southern flank of the Alps it will remain dry. Temperature: Temperatures will drop. At midday at 2000 m, -8 °C in the northern regions and -6 °C in the southern regions. Wind: Winds will be blowing from westerly to northwesterly directions, - predominantly at moderate strength in the northern regions during the nocturnal hours on Thursday, at light strength in the southern regions; - blowing at moderate to strong velocity during the daytime hours on Friday.

Saturday: On Friday night in the northern regions, a small amount of additional snowfall is anticipated down to low lying areas in the northern regions. During the daytime on Saturday in the western and the southern regions it will be predominantly sunny, in the eastern regions increasingly sunny during the course of the day, accompanied by convective cloud. In the Jura region and in the Prealps, a moderate bise wind will be blowing, in the other regions of Switzerland, a moderate to strong-velocity northeasterly wind will be blowing. The avalanche danger levels could increase somewhat from place to place in the northern regions. Sunday: It will be sunny and somewhat milder in the mountains. The bise wind will slacken off and at high altitudes the northeasterly wind will ease. The danger of dry-snow avalanches is expected to incrementally decrease. On steep sunny slopes, moist slides and gliding avalanches are possible.