untere Maggiatäler

Snowpack

On Friday, strong winds blew from westerly directions. On Saturday it will blow from southerly directions and will continue to transport the snow. However, as there were repeated strong winds last week, there remains only a small amount of transportable snow. Particularly adjacent to ridgelines and in pass areas, the surface of the snowpack is strongly shaped by the wind and is therefore irregular. The snowdrift accumulations usually become hard with the mild temperatures. They are easily triggered in places. This is especially true if they lie on a loose layer of old snow.

Otherwise, the snowpack structure varies from region to region:

• North of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine and in the extreme west of Lower Valais: The middle part of the snowpack is often well consolidated and therefore there is little expectation that avalanches will be triggered deep in the old snowpack.
• South of a line from the Rhône to the Rhine: Particularly in areas with little snow in the south and east, the entire snowpack is faceted and loose in places. Isolated avalanches may still be triggered in weak layers if there is still a sufficiently pronounced snow slab above.

Weather forecast to Saturday

It will be very cloudy on the central part of the Main Alpine Ridge and south of it. In the other regions it will be quite sunny with foehn winds.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +5 °C in the north and -1 °C in the south.

Wind

Southwest:

• Strong on the northern flank of the Alps, in Valais and in Grisons at high altitudes, in the Alpine valleys moderate to strong foehn wind from the south down into the valleys
• South of the Main Alpine Ridge: moderate at high altitudes

Weather review for Friday

It was mostly sunny.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +3 °C

Wind

• Moderate to strong westerly winds during the night to Friday and in the late morning, temporarily from the northwest on the southern flank of the Alps and in Grisons
• Then moderate from the southwest, with a foehn wind in the Alpine valleys of the north

OutlookSunday

There will be widespread precipitation during the night to Sunday, most of it on the southern flank of the Alps. The snowfall level will drop from around 1800 m to around 1200 m in the north. In the south it will be around 1400 m. During the day it will be fairly sunny in the north with a moderate to strong foehn wind from the south. In the afternoon there will be brighter spells in the south. The avalanche danger will increase slightly across the board, appreciably on the central and eastern parts of the Main Alpine Ridge and south of it.

Monday

Monday will be mostly very cloudy, with clear spells due to the foehn wind possible in the east. Precipitation will set in from the west and south in the early morning, which is likely to continue until Tuesday and be heavy particularly in the south. The avalanche danger will increase further on Monday, especially in the regions exposed to heavier precipitation along the central and eastern parts of the Main Alpine Ridge and south of it.