Bernina

Moderate avalanche danger will be encountered over a wide area

Moderate avalanche danger will be encountered over a wide area

The new snow of last week is in some cases still prone to triggering. Snow sport participants can release avalanches in some places, including medium-sized ones. In isolated cases avalanches can release the weakly bonded old snow as well. This applies in particular on very steep north facing slopes in little used backcountry terrain. Careful route selection is recommended. As a consequence of a sometimes strong wind, mostly small wind slabs formed during the night in particular in high Alpine regions. These are to be avoided in steep terrain. As a consequence of warming during the day and solar radiation wet avalanches are to be expected as the day progresses. Backcountry tours and off-piste skiing should be concluded timely.

In most places the fresh snow of recent days has bonded quite well with the now frozen layer of Saharan dust on which it was deposited. In the inneralpine regions of Grisons and to some extent of Valais as well, the composition of the snowpack on north facing slopes remains weak, but hardly any avalanches have been released in deep layers for some time. Before the most recent snowfalls, unbroken snow cover existed on north facing slopes above approximately 1000 to 1400 m in the northern regions, and above approximately 1800 to 2200 m in the southern regions. The snow line on south facing slopes was mostly 300 to 500 m higher. In the south, exceptionally little snow is lying in the mountains for this time of year.

The night was partly cloudy. A few snowflakes fell in some localities, but significantly larger quantities fell in Sotto Ceneri. During the day in the north it was mostly sunny above approximately 2000 m and partly sunny at lower altitudes. It was cloudy in the south. Fresh snow: In Sotto Ceneri above approximately 1000 m: up to 20 cm Temperature: At midday at 2000 m: about -5 °C Wind: Light to moderate from the west The north will be very cloudy, and in the east a few snowflakes will fall during the day. It will be partly sunny in Valais and mostly sunny on the main Alpine ridge and to the south. Fresh snow: Central and eastern parts of the northern flank of the Alps, also Prättigau: a few centimetres locally above approximately 1500 m Temperature: The midday temperature at 2000 m will rise to 0 °C in the north and +3 °C in the south. Wind: The wind will be westerly: - In the east during the night, sometimes strong in the Prealps, otherwise mostly moderate. - In the west and south, mostly light.

Wednesday: In the mountains it will be quite sunny in the morning, but increasingly cloudy in the north in the afternoon, but still mostly dry. The danger of dry avalanches will decrease. Both wet snow and gliding avalanches can occur as the day progresses. Thursday: With a strong and, in the afternoon, sometimes storm force westerly wind, it will be very cloudy. Precipitation will fall over a wide area, most heavily in the west. In the extreme west of Lower Valais, around 50 cm of fresh snow is expected. In the afternoon the snowfall level will rise to almost 2000 m. In Grisons only a little precipitation will fall; the far south will remain dry. The danger of dry avalanches will increase in the north and west, and significantly in the far west. Below approximately 2000 m, wet snow avalanches are to be expected in particular on north facing slopes as a consequence of rain. In Grisons and Ticino, the danger will be posed by fresh snow drift accumulations in particular.