Martigny-Verbier

Snowpack

The number of places where avalanches can be triggered, but not their size, has significantly decreased.

In many places at high altitude, last week's new and drifted snow is lying on top of a weakly bonded old faceted snowpack:

• north of a line between the Rhone and Rhine, the overlying snow is often thick. Human-triggered avalanches are therefore only possible in very isolated cases and are most likely where there is little snow;
• in southern Valais, as well as in a strip from central via northern Grisons to the Lower Engadine, avalanches are still possible in weak layers near the ground, where medium and often even 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 little lying snow. Older snowdrift accumulations are lying on a thin, but usually completely faceted and loose snowpack and avalanches can still be triggered here. Avalanches in these regions are mainly of medium size.

Especially on the northern flanks of the Alps, there may be some wind transport of loose old snow on shady slopes. Snowdrift accumulations are being deposited on an unfavourable surface and are prone to triggering.

Medium and occasionally large gliding avalanches are also being reported from snowy regions in the north and west.

Weather forecast to New Year's Day

Conditions will be sunny in the mountains and still mild in the north.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +3 °C in the north and 0 °C in the south.

Wind

Moderate over the course of the day on the northern flank of the Alps and locally strong from the southwest in the afternoon.

Weather review for New Year's Eve

Conditions were sunny and mild in the mountains.

Fresh snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +3 °C

Wind

Moderate in the Jura and along the Prealps, otherwise mainly weak from the west.

Outlook

Some clear intervals will remain in Valais on Thursday morning, after which it will be cloudy everywhere. There will be heavy precipitation in the north and far west between Thursday afternoon and Friday morning. A total of around 20 to 30 cm of fresh snow is expected there. The snowfall level will drop from 1200 m to lowland areas. On Friday, it will become sunny again in Valais, in the south and generally at high altitudes. There will be strong to stormy westerly to southwesterly winds in the north on Thursday and moderate northerly winds on Friday.

On Thursday morning, there will be some old snow transport on shady slopes. From midday on Thursday onwards, new fallen snow will increasingly be transported. Fresh and drifted snow will be deposited mainly on shady slopes on an unfavourable surface of faceted crystals and sometimes also on surface hoar. Avalanche danger will significantly increase in the north and the far west, and will increase slightly in all other places, especially in high Alpine regions.