Schanfigg

In the west a high avalanche danger will be encountered in some regions.

Snowpack

With rain to high altitudes and snowfall and wind on top of this, avalanches, some of them large, occurred in particular in Valais and on the northern flank of the Alps. At high altitudes, there is about twice as much snow in many areas as there normally is at the beginning of December. The snowpack structure there is generally favourable. Deep in the old snowpack, around older rain crusts there are thin weak layers of angular crystals, which in isolated cases are prone to triggering. In the south, the snow depths are below average and the weak layers are therefore closer to the surface. There in particular, the older weak layers may be released, including by people in some cases. At intermediate altitudes, the snowpack has been weakened by the rain. It is increasingly stabilising as a consequence of falling temperatures, but gliding avalanches are still possible on slippery ground below 2000 m.

Weather forecast through Wednesday, 13.12.2023

It will remain very cloudy with precipitation. The snowfall level will drop rapidly from around 2000 m to around 1000-1400 m. On Wednesday, most of the precipitation will fall in the west with moderate to strong westerly winds, and then on Thursday, mainly in the north with northwesterly winds.

Fresh snow

From Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow are anticipated above approximately 1500 m:

• extreme west of Lower Valais: 30 to 60 cm;
• Northern Alpine Ridge, rest of Lower Valais, northern Grisons, Samnaun: 20 to 30 cm, up to 40 cm in some locations;
• rest of the northern flank of the Alps, rest of Valais: 10 to 20 cm;
• less elsewhere.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +3 °C in the north and -1 °C in the south.

Wind

• Moderate to strong winds will blow from the west.
• There will be an increasingly strong northerly wind in the afternoon in the south.

Observed weather review Tuesday, 12.12.2023

It was very cloudy with precipitation, which was sometimes heavy in the west and north. The snowfall level was around 2200 m in the west and 1700 m in the southeast.

Fresh snow

From Monday afternoon to Tuesday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow fell above approximately 2500 m:

• Northern Alpine Ridge and extreme west of Lower Valais: 30 to 40 cm;
• rest of Valais, rest of the central part of the Main Alpine Ridge and northern Prättigau: 10 to 20 cm;
• less elsewhere.

This means that the following snowfall has been registered above approximately 2500 m since the precipitation started on Sunday:

• Northern Alpine Ridge and extreme west of Lower Valais: 50 to 80 cm;
• rest of Valais, rest of the central part of the Main Alpine Ridge, Prättigau to Samnaun: 30 to 50 cm;
• rest of northern Ticino, rest of Grisons: 10 to 30 cm.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +3 °C in the west and +1 °C in the east.

Wind

Moderate to strong westerly winds blew on the northern flank of the Alps and generally at high altitudes.

Outlook through Friday, 15.12.2023

It will remain very cloudy with precipitation. On Thursday, 20 to 40 cm of snow will fall on the Northern Alpine Ridge and in Lower Valais; 10 to 20 cm of snow will fall in the other regions of the northern flank of the Alps, Valais and northern Grisons and in the western Jura. At midday on Friday, the precipitation will end and it will be sunny in the west and south. There will be moderate winds, with winds blowing strongly from the north on the Main Alpine Ridge and to the south of this. On Thursday, the avalanche danger will increase somewhat in the north. It will decrease slightly again on Friday. In the south, the avalanche danger will not change significantly.