Bex-Villars

Moderate avalanche danger will be encountered over a wide area

Moderate avalanche danger will be encountered over a wide area

The fresh and older wind slabs represent the main danger. The number and size of avalanche prone locations will increase with altitude. Avalanches can in some places be released by a single winter sport participant and reach medium size. Backcountry touring and other off-piste activities call for careful route selection. Especially on very steep sunny slopes more frequent small to medium-sized gliding avalanches are to be expected as a consequence of warming during the day and solar radiation.

The snowdrift accumulations of the last few days are still prone to triggering to some extent. In addition, avalanches can be triggered in a weak layer or beneath the rain crust which formed at the end of December from place to place. Particularly from the central Valais over the northern Ticino as far as Grisons, weak layers more deeply embedded inside the snowpack are evident. However, no further avalanche triggerings have been registered in these layers during the last few days. As a result of solar radiation and daytime warming, particularly on the northern flank of the Alps on very steep south-facing slopes, gliding avalanches and loose-snow avalanches can be expected.

Following a night of clear skies it was quite sunny in the mountains during the daytime. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between 0 °C in the western regions and -3 °C in the eastern regions. Wind: - Jura region, Prealps: moderate to strong-velocity bise wind; - southern flank of the Alps as well as at high altitudes in general: strong-velocity northeasterly winds in some places; - in the other regions of Switzerland, predominantly light winds. Following a night of clear skies, it will be quite sunny in the mountains. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between +3 °C in the western regions and 0 °C in the eastern regions. Wind: Jura region, Prealps, high alpine regions: moderate to strong-velocity winds from easterly to northeasterly directions; in the other regions of Switzerland, predominantly light winds.

Following nights of clear skies it will be sunny and very mild in the mountains. The zero-degree level will lie at approximately 3000 m. The danger of dry-snow avalanches will continue to decrease. As a result of the mild temperatures and solar radiation, wet-snow and gliding snow avalanches will be possible on very steep sunny slopes.