Gruyère

Snowpack

The number of places where avalanches can be triggered is decreasing slowly, though not the avalanche size.

In many places at high altitude last week's fresh and drifted snow is lying on top of a faceted, weakly bonded old snowpack:

• north of a line between the Rhone and Rhine, the overlying snow is often thick. Human-triggered avalanches are therefore only possible in isolated cases, especially at transitions from a deep to shallow snowpack and in places with little snow; these avalanches may, however, become large;
• especially in southern Valais and in a strip from central through northern Grisons to Lower Engadine avalanches are still triggerable in weak layers near the ground, where medium and often large avalanches have been repeatedly triggered in recent days;
• south of this, along the Main Alpine Ridge in Grisons, in the Upper Engadine and in central Ticino, there is still little snow. Older snowdrift accumulations are lying on a thin, but usually completely faceted and loose snowpack and avalanches can still be triggered here. Avalanches in these regions are usually of medium size.

Medium and occasionally large gliding avalanches are also being reported from the snowy regions in the north and west.

Weather forecast to New Year's Eve

Conditions will be sunny and mild in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, +3 °C

Wind

Westerly wind, moderate in the Prealps, otherwise weak

Weather review for Monday

Conditions were sunny and mild in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +5 °C

Wind

Mostly light

OutlookNew Year's Day

Conditions will be sunny and mild. As the day progresses, the northern flank of the Alps will experience a moderate to strong southwesterly wind.

Small snowdrift accumulations will arise locally on the northern flanks of the Alps. Otherwise, avalanche danger will not change significantly.

Thursday

In the north, it will often be cloudy, with the afternoon seeing the first snowflakes fall above 1000 m. It will be sunny at times in the south. On the northern flank of the Alps and in the high Alpine regions in general, strong to stormy southwesterly winds will produce snowdrift accumulations which will be prone to triggering. The danger of avalanches being triggered in weakly bonded old snow will persist. Medium and occasionally large gliding avalanches will remain possible.