Bex-Villars

Snowpack

With this week’s rain, the snowpack below approximately 3000 m became saturated in all regions. Above approximately 3000 m, snow fell at times, most of it from Wednesday to Thursday from the Adula to the Bernina region. Here, in the last 3 days, a total of around 1 metre of fresh snow has fallen in the high Alpine regions. This fresh snow is still prone to triggering in some cases. In the other regions, wind slabs, some of which are prone to triggering, formed on the peaks of the high Alpine regions due to the sometimes stormy southerly wind.

As a consequence of solar radiation, moist loose snow avalanches are to be expected on Friday in the areas with fresh snow. Below approximately 3200 m, isolated wet avalanches originating in the old snowpack are possible.

Outlook

The nights into Saturday and Sunday will often be cloudy and partly wet. On Saturday, it will be changeable during the day with showers, especially in the north and in Ticino. There will be more widespread brighter spells in Valais and the Engadine. On Sunday, it will be mostly sunny and dry in Valais and western Ticino. In the other regions it will be brighter, while towards the north-east it will often be cloudy with showers. The snowfall level will be around 3200 m on both days, and in the high Alpine regions, there will be strong to stormy westerly winds.

The danger of dry avalanches in the high Alpine regions will decrease somewhat in southern Grisons, otherwise it will hardly change. Isolated wet avalanches are still possible, especially on very steep north-facing slopes below approximately 3200 m.