Waadtländer Voralpen

Snowpack

Above approximately 2000 m, there is approximately one and a half times the usual amount of snow for the time of year.

A lot of snow has fallen at high altitudes in the south in the last few days. New snow and drift snow are lying on a partly loose snowpack surface, especially on very steep north-facing slopes in the high Alpine regions. The interface with the old snowpack is fairly unfavourable there. For other aspects and altitudes, the old snow surface is for the most part favourable in terms of the interface with the new snow. Hardly any fractures deeper in the snowpack are to be expected.

Below approximately 3000 m, the old snowpack is soaked for all aspects. Except on steep north-facing slopes in the high Alpine regions, the new snow will be moistened on Friday.

Weather forecast until Friday, 17.05.2024

After a cloudy night with some precipitation, it will be fairly sunny in the west and south in the early morning. In the east, the precipitation will subside in the late morning and there will be increasingly clear skies. Cumulus clouds will form in all regions as the day progresses, followed by isolated showers and thunderstorms. The snowfall level on Thursday evening will be 2300 m in the northeast and around 1800 m elsewhere.

New snow

The precipitation will fall as showers. As a result, the amount of precipitation will vary a lot locally. From Thursday afternoon to Friday afternoon, the following average amounts of snow are expected above approximately 2500 m:

• northern flank of the Alps from the Bernese Oberland to Liechtenstein, Ticino and Moesano: 10 to 20 cm; in the Alpstein: up to 30 cm;
• elsewhere: 5 to 10 cm.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +4 °C.

Wind

There will be mostly light southwesterly winds.

Weather review for Thursday, 16.05.2024

In the northeast it was fairly sunny in the late morning; otherwise it was mostly cloudy. There was precipitation mainly in the south, falling as snow above 2000 to 2300 m.

New snow

From Wednesday afternoon to Thursday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow fell above approximately 2600 m:

• Ticino and Moesano: 20 to 30 cm; up to 40 cm on the highest peaks;
• Lower Valais, Vaud Alps, rest of the Main Alpine Ridge from Valais to the Bernina region: 10 to 20 cm;
• less elsewhere; dry in the northeast.

This means that over the last two days in the high Alpine regions, 30 to 50 cm of snow have fallen on the Main Alpine Ridge from Upper Valais to the Bernina region, and as much as 50 to 90 cm in Ticino.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +3 °C in the southwest and +6 °C in the northeast.

Wind

There were moderate, and locally also strong, southerly winds.

Trend until Whit Sunday, 19.05.2024

Each day, after a partly clear night, it will be fairly sunny in the early morning. As the day progresses, cumulus clouds will form rapidly and showers and thunderstorms are to be expected. It will remain largely dry in the Grisons. The nights will be fairly cloudy in the south, and showers could start in the early morning on Saturday. At high altitudes, there will intermittently be moderate southwesterly winds. The zero-degree level will rise to 3000 m on Sunday.

The danger of dry avalanches will decrease only gradually on steep north-facing slopes in the high Alpine regions, but will do so rapidly elsewhere. Wet avalanches are possible in the course of each day. Tours and hut ascents should be completed in good time.