Saint-Cergue

Snowpack

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

Last week's fresh and drifted snow is lying on top of a faceted weak old snowpack in many places at high altitude:

• 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, as well as in a strip from central through northern Grisons to Lower Engadine, avalanches are still easily 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.

Weather forecast to Monday

Conditions will be sunny and mild in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, +5 °C.

Wind

Mostly light.

Weather review for Sunday

It was sunny and mild in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +6 °C.

Wind

Mostly light.

Outlook

In the mountains, conditions will be sunny and mild on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day. The zero-degree level will be around 2500 m. In the north, southwesterly winds will be moderate on New Year's Eve and sometimes strong on New Year's Day. The wind will remain light in the south.

The danger of dry avalanches will not change significantly. Particularly in southern Valais and in Grisons, avalanches can still be triggered in the weak old snowpack and become large. Small and medium-sized gliding avalanches are still possible on steep sunny slopes.