No distinct avalanche problem
- All elevations
Snowpack
New snow and wind will result in fresh wind slabs forming on Monday that are prone to triggering.
In addition, around the crusts in the top section of the snowpack, weak layers with a sometimes faceted crystal structure will be deposited. These weak layers are still prone to triggering in places, especially in southern Upper Valais and in the inneralpine regions of Grisons. Deep layers of the snowpack are compact in many places and do not contain distinct weak layers.
Gliding avalanches are still possible, primarily on east-, south- and west-facing slopes below approximately 2600 m and more rarely on north-facing slopes. These may be large. Gliding avalanches are still to be expected.
Weather forecast until Monday, 18.03.2024
It will be mostly very cloudy with precipitation. The snowfall level will be around 1800 m to 2200 m in the west and 1600 m to 1900 m in the east. In the afternoon, it will become increasingly sunny in the south with northerly winds.
New snow
Above 2200 m in the west and 2000 m in the east, the following amounts of snow are expected to fall:
Temperature
At midday at 2000 m, around +1 °C.
Wind
Weather review for Sunday, 17.03.2024
It was a clear night. During the day, it was still sometimes sunny in the east, subsequently becoming overcast, as it already was in the west. In the west, light precipitation set in, falling as snow above approximately 1800 m.
New snow
Along the Northern Alpine Ridge from Chablais to the Lötschental and in southern Valais west of the Visp valleys, a few centimetres of fresh snow were recorded above approximately 2000 m.
Temperature
At midday at 2000 m, around +3 °C.
Wind
There were mostly light to moderate westerly to northwesterly winds.
Trend until Wednesday, 20.03.2024
It will be mostly sunny and fairly mild, and there will be mostly light winds. The danger of dry avalanches will decrease. The danger of wet avalanches will increasingly change in the course of a day, with mostly favourable conditions in the early morning and natural wet snow avalanches, mostly at surface level, due to the milder temperatures and solar radiation during the day. In addition, gliding avalanches, including large ones, are still to be expected at any time of the day or night.
Bulletin data: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF (CC BY 4.0)