Luganese

Snowpack

The structure of the snowpack varies greatly from region to region:

• Along the Main Alpine Ridge in Grisons, in the Upper Engadine and in northern regions of Ticino, new and drift snow that fell during the night into Tuesday was deposited on a thin but often completely transformed snowpack in many places. This thin old snowpack was particularly present in gullies and bowls on western, northern and eastern slopes above 2200 m. Here, avalanches can easily be triggered.
• In the inneralpine regions of Valais and Grisons, there are distinct weak layers in the snowpack at high altitude. In these, avalanches can be triggered in places and sometimes tear through to the ground.
• North of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine and in the extreme west of Lower Valais, the snowpack structure is more favourable. Avalanches in weak layers in the old snowpack are only possible in isolated cases.

Weather forecast to Wednesday, 08 January 2025

Precipitation will set in during the night in the west and north and will continue until midday on Wednesday. The snowfall level will increase from 1000 metres to between 1800 and 2000 metres. In Grisons and the south, there will be little precipitation or it will remain dry.

Fresh snow

Between Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon above 2200 m:

• Extreme west of Lower Valais, Vaud Alps: 20 to 40 cm
• The rest of the northern flank of the Alps, the rest of Valais except the Visp valleys, northern Prättigau: 10 to 20 cm
• Elsewhere: less, or it will remain dry.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +2 °C in the north and 0 °C in the south.

Wind

Strong winds on the northern flank of the Alps and generally at high altitudes, partly stormy from the west.

Weather review for Tuesday, 07 January 2025

There was widespread precipitation during the night, with the most falling in the south and west. The snowfall level dropped from 1600 m to 1000 m in the west and 800 m in the south. During the day it was mostly sunny in Valais and the south and brighter in the west. In the north-east, it remained mostly cloudy until the middle of the day.

Fresh snow

From Monday morning to Tuesday afternoon above 1800 m:

• Main Alpine Ridge from the Lukmanier Pass to the Bernina Pass and south of it: 20 to 40 cm
• Extreme west of Lower Valais, Vaud and Fribourg Alps, rest of Ticino: 15 to 25 cm
• The rest of Lower Valais, the rest of the northern flank of the Alps, the rest of Grisons: 5 to 15 cm
• Less elsewhere.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, -5 °C

Wind

Initially still strong from the south, then moderate to strong from the west in the Jura, on the northern flank of the Alps and at higher altitudes, otherwise mostly light.

Outlook

Apart from sunny spells in Grisons on Thursday and in the south on Friday, it will be mostly cloudy on both days. Precipitation will be more prevalent. The snowfall level will fluctuate considerably. On Thursday it will be between 1400 and 1800 metres, on Friday initially at low altitude before rapidly rising from the west to over 2000 metres. Above 2200 m, 20 to 40 cm of snow is expected on the western and central parts of the northern flank of the Alps and in Lower Valais. Up to 60 cm of snow may fall along the border with France. In the other regions, 10 to 20 cm of snow is possible at high altitude. The wind will be mostly strong and blowing from the west.

In the regions exposed to heavier precipitation in the west, the avalanche danger will increase; in the extreme west of Lower Valais, danger level 4 (high) may be reached on Friday. Otherwise the avalanche danger will hardly change. In the north and west, gliding avalanches are still possible below 2000 metres.