Waadtländer Voralpen

Snowpack

In the north, snowfall and northwesterly winds caused wind slabs to form on Wednesday. Several avalanches were reported in and directly below the drift snow. With the warming temperatures, many loose snow avalanches also formed from the new fallen snow as the day progressed. Deep layers of the snowpack are compact in many places. However, around the crusts in the upper third of the old snowpack, weak layers with a sometimes faceted crystal structure, and in some cases also snow-covered surface hoar (hoar frost), are deposited.

The large amount of new snow that fell in the south at the weekend has increasingly stabilised.

Gliding avalanches are still possible, primarily on east-, south- and west-facing slopes below approximately 2400 m and more rarely on north-facing slopes. These may be large.

Weather forecast until Thursday, 14.03.2024

Apart from some high cloud, it will be mostly sunny and mild.

New snow

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Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +5 °C in the north and +2 °C in the south.

Wind

Winds will be light, moderate at times, from the west.

Weather review for Wednesday, 13.03.2024

In the west, the snowfall ended in the early morning and it became partly sunny, while in the east it snowed until the afternoon. The snowfall level rose from 1300 m to 1800 m by the time the precipitation ended. It was fairly sunny in the south.

New snow

From Tuesday evening to Wednesday afternoon:

• Northern Alpine Ridge from the Gemmi Pass to Liechtenstein, as well as northern Grisons: 20 to 40 cm;
• rest of the northern flank of the Alps excluding the Vaud and Fribourg Alps, Goms, central Grisons, Lower Engadine: 10 to 20 cm;
• less elsewhere; dry in the south.

Temperature

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

Wind

There was a moderate northerly wind, strong at times on the northern flank of the Alps.

Trend until Saturday, 16.03.2024

Both days will be changeable with longer sunny spells and a few showers. The snowfall level will drop from around 1800 m on Friday to 1400 m on Saturday. Around 10 to 20 cm of new snow will fall on the Northern Alpine Ridge by Saturday afternoon. It will be dry in the south on both days and mostly sunny on Saturday. Winds will be light to moderate, becoming increasingly strong on Saturday, from the west.

The danger of dry avalanches will slowly decrease. Occasional gliding avalanches, some of which could be large, will still be possible.