Martigny-Verbier

Snowpack

On the northern flank of the Alps and in Valais, the snowpack will become moist during the night to Sunday with rain up to around 2000 m. Above this, the new fallen snow is deposited on a cold and often loose surface of the snowpack.

Various weak layers are embedded in the snowpack. On the one hand, there is an angular layer under the last new snow and drift snow, which fell during the night to Friday. In addition, there are widespread angular weak layers deep in the snowpack. Avalanches are still possible in weak layers near the ground, especially from southern Valais via Ticino to Grisons, and may still become large. There is little lying snow, especially along the Main Alpine Ridge in Grisons, in the Upper Engadine and in central Ticino, however avalanches may also become medium in size there.

Weather forecast until Sunday, 05.01.2025

There will be widespread precipitation during the night to Sunday. It will remain dry only in the far south. In the afternoon there will be brighter intervals, especially towards the west. Otherwise it will remain mostly very cloudy.

Fresh snow

The snowfall level will increase rapidly and will be around 2400 m by the middle of the day at the end of the precipitation, and around 1600 m in the inneralpine regions of Grisons. The following amounts of fresh snow are expected above approximately 2500 m:

• Western Lower Valais, northern flank of the Alps: 15 to 30 cm, and locally up to 40 cm;
• rest of Valais, Prättigau: mostly 10 to 20 cm
• northern Ticino and the rest of northern Grisons, central Grisons: 5 to 10 cm
• Less elsewhere, dry in the far south

Where it only rains, the data can be assumed to mean millimetres of rain.

Temperature

Rising significantly, especially in the north; in the middle of the day at 2000 m, between +7 °C in the north and -2 °C in the south

Wind

• During the night, appreciably freshening from west to southwest
• Generally mostly strong during the day, mostly moderate in the south
• Gradually developing foehn wind from the south from the late afternoon in the Alpine valleys

Weather review for Saturday, 04.01.2025

It was still mostly sunny in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

Rising. At midday at 2000 m, between -1 °C in the west and -4 °C in the east and south.

Wind

• Westerly to northwesterly
• Sometimes strong during the night at high altitudes, otherwise mostly moderate

Outlook

On Monday it will still be quite sunny, especially on the central and eastern parts of the northern flank of the Alps, otherwise it will be cloudy to very cloudy, overcast on the southern flank of the Alps. There will be strong to stormy winds from the south to southwest, with strong to storm force foehn winds in the Alpine valleys. It will remain very mild, especially in the north. During the night to Tuesday, the foehn wind will drop. The wind will blow strongly from the west on the northern flank of the Alps and in the west, while in Ticino and Grisons it will be mostly moderate from westerly directions. It will be changeable in the north and increasingly sunny in the south. On both days there will be precipitation, on Monday in the south and widespread on Tuesday. In total, 40 to 60 cm of snow is likely to fall above 1600 m from the Rheinwald region and Val Moesa to the Bernina region, 20 to 40 cm in Ticino and the extreme west of Lower Valais, and 10 to 20 cm elsewhere. The danger of dry avalanches will increase in the regions exposed to heavier precipitation, markedly so in the south. It will not change significantly in the north. The danger of wet avalanches will decrease in the north. Gliding avalanches are still expected, including large ones.