Schanfigg

Snowpack

In places above approximately 2200 m that are protected from the wind, the new snow and snowdrift are, in some regions, lying on a weak layer with faceted crystals and is prone to triggering. Below approximately 2200 m, the snow became damp or wet due to the mild temperatures and rain and there were a lot of wet and gliding avalanches, especially in the high-precipitation regions in the west. Most of these were classified as medium size, others as large.

As a consequence of the significant fall in temperatures and the end of the precipitation on Friday, the situation is stabilising rapidly, especially below approximately 2200 m, and more slowly above this where the snow has remained dry.

There are hardly any critical weak layers deeper in the snowpack.

Weather forecast until Friday, 19.01.2024

It will continue to snow during Thursday night into Friday, but the snow will become less heavy in the second half of the night. On Friday morning, it will initially remain cloudy in the north and there will be some last precipitation. It will then become increasingly sunny from the west. In the south, with the foehn wind from the north it will be fairly sunny from the early morning onwards.

New snow

The snowfall level will drop to low altitudes. Above 1600 m the following amounts of snowfall are expected from Thursday afternoon until Friday midday:

• western Lower Valais, northern flank of the Alps: 15 to 30 cm;
• rest of Valais, Grisons: 5 to 15 cm;
• Ticino: less, or it will remain dry.

Temperature

There will be a considerable drop in temperature. At midday at 2000 m, it will be between -12 °C in the north and -9 °C in the south.

Wind

The wind will shift from the west to the north to northeast.

• There will be a mostly moderate wind at high altitudes, with increasingly strong northerly winds to the Main Alpine ridge and south of this, also into the valleys.
• There will be an increasing Bise wind in the Prealps and the Jura.

Weather review for Thursday, 18.01.2024

It was very cloudy with widespread precipitation, with the largest amounts falling in Valais.

New snow

The snowfall level was between 1500 m and 2200 m. Above this it snowed from Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon. The following amounts of new snow were registered:

• extreme west of Lower Valais on the border with France: 30 to 50 cm;
• rest of Lower Valais, Vaud Alps, northern Valais, neighbouring Bernese Oberland: 20 to 40 cm;
• the other parts of Upper Valais excluding the Visp valleys and southern Upper Valais; the other western and central parts of the northern flank of the Alps; and Moesano to the Bernina region: 10 to 20 cm;
• less elsewhere.

This means that in two days there were the following amounts of snowfall above approximately 2400 m:

• Lower Valais, Vaud Alps, northern Valais, neighbouring Bernese Oberland: 40 to 60 cm, and up to 80 cm on the border with France;
• the other parts of Upper Valais excluding the Visp valleys and southern parts of Upper Valais; and the other western and central parts of the northern flank of the Alps: 20 to 40 cm;
• less elsewhere.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, generally around 0 °C, in Engadine +2 °C.

Wind

There was a southwesterly wind.

• The wind was moderate to strong at high altitudes at the northern flank of the Alps and in Valais.
• It was mostly weak to moderate in Grisons and Ticino.

Trend

On Saturday it will be sunny in the mountains, with good visibility. On Sunday it will be fairly sunny with high cloud cover. With the wind shifting to the west, especially on Sunday it will get considerably milder again.

The avalanche danger will decrease.