Bulletin d’avalanche

Caution on very steep shady slopes: warmth and rain impact will increase glide-snow avalanches

As a result of W/SW winds, high-altitude clouds will pass through which will become denser during the course of the day and increasingly cover the sun. The highest summits will recede into cloud and as evening approaches in the northern regions, snowfall will set in above 1500 m. Temperature at 2000 m: 0 degrees. Brisk to strong W/SW winds at high altitudes.

Avalanche danger will not change significantly. Due to mild temperatures, increasingly frequent glide-snow avalanches are possible.

Caution on very steep shady slopes: warmth and rain impact will increase glide-snow avalanches

On high-altitude steep and shady slopes, weak layers at ground level can still be triggered in some places. Small-to-medium sized slab avalanches can be triggered especially by large additional loading in transitions from shallow to deep snow, e.g. at entries into gullies and bowls or in spots where the snow is shallow. In ridgeline terrain small fresh snowdrift accumulations require caution. In areas with âlowâ danger there are isolated danger zones for dry-snow avalanches on extremely steep shady slopes. The peril of being swept along and forced to fall require attentiveness. Particularly in regions where snowfall has been heaviest, isolated small-to-medium sized glide snow avalanches are possible on steep grassy slopes and hillsides which have not yet discharged. Cracks in the snowpack are red flags.

There was a small amount of snowfall at high altitudes in the northern regions, with some small snowdrift accumulations generated. The snowpack on most steep slopes is well consolidated and stable, but on high-altitude very steep slopes there are frequently covered weak layers of faceted crystals or snowdrift accumulations which are triggerable. On north-facing slopes and zones where the solar radiation is flat, the uppermost layers are generally still loose and powdery. There is often surface hoar or a thin melt-freeze crust. On steep sunny slopes the widespread melt-freeze crust is capable of bearing loads. At low and intermediate altitudes the snowpack is moist, and under rain impact is losing its firmness. With ascending altitude there are freshly generated snowdrift accumulations, usually small.