Zervreila

Snowpack

With new fallen snow and moderate southwesterly winds in places, wind slabs, some of them prone to triggering, have formed in the west over the last two days. On Thursday, new fallen snow and southwesterly winds will produce further wind slabs in the north.

South of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine, there are still weak layers in the lower part of the snowpack. These are most pronounced on shady slopes protected from the wind in Ticino, the Engadine and the Grisons southern valleys. In the last few days, only a few avalanches have been triggered deep in the old snowpack, but these were dangerously large.

Only a few glid snow avalanches have been reported recently – some of them were large.

Weather forecast to Thursday

Snow will fall in the west and north. The snowfall level will drop from 1500 m to 1200 m in the west and 800 m in the east. In the south it will be mostly dry with bright spells.

Fresh snow

• Extreme west and north of Lower Valais and northern flank of the Alps: 10 to 20 cm.
• Rest of Valais and northern Grisons: 5 to 10 cm.
• Elsewhere a few centimetres, dry in the south.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, -2 °C, falling in the afternoon.

Wind

Moderate to strong westerly winds in the north, otherwise mostly light westerly to southwesterly winds.

Weather review for Wednesday

It was mostly cloudy. In the west, 10 to 15 cm of snow fell above approximately 1200 m.

Fresh snow

In two days from Monday to Wednesday afternoon above 1500 m:

• Extreme west and norther of Lower Valais: 10 to 25 cm.
• Central part of the southern flank of the Alps, Val Bregaglia, Val Poschiavo: 10 to 15 cm.
• Elsewhere: a few centimetres, or dry.

Temperature

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

Wind

There was a weak to moderate southwesterly wind.

OutlookFriday

Widespread precipitation will fall in the north during the night. During the day it will be mostly sunny in the west, mostly cloudy towards the east and there will continue to be some precipitation. A further 10 to 20 cm of new fallen snow is expected in the extreme west of Lower Valais and on the northern flank of the Alps, and 5 to 10 cm in Valais and northern Grisons. The snowfall level will be at low altitude. A strong wind will blow, first from the northwest, then from the northeast.

It will be sunny in the south with strong northerly winds.

The avalanche danger will increase in the north with the new fallen snow and strong winds. The strong northerly wind will transport the old snow in the south. The avalanche danger is also expected to increase slightly in these regions.

Saturday

Conditions will be sunny in the mountains. The zero-degree level will rise again to around 2000 m. The wind will ease.

The avalanche danger will decrease.