Bex-Villars

Snowpack

Snow has fallen repeatedly over the past eight days. Before that, there was a large area of continuous snowpack, especially on northern slopes above 2800 m and in the high Alpine regions in general. Below approximately 2800 m, the snow mostly fell on bare ground or the ground roughness had not yet levelled out.

With fresh snow and sometimes stormy winds from the west, further wind slabs developed on Monday, including large ones in Valais and the north. The fresh and drifted snow of recent days is prone to triggering.

With increasing southerly winds, the loose snow near the surface will transport the snow during the course of the day on Wednesday.

With incoming radiation and the rising temperatures during the day, wet and gliding avalanches are to be expected, possibly medium-sized in regions with significant snowfall.

Weather forecast to Wednesday

In the north, it is quite sunny and mild with the zero-degree level at 3000 m. High clouds will gather from the west in the afternoon. In the south, it will be mostly cloudy, but largely dry.

Fresh snow

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Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around +6 °C in the north and +3 °C in the south

Wind

• During the night into Wednesday, there will be a weak to moderate wind from the west to the southwest
• As the day progresses, moderate to strong from the south on the Alpine ridges, moderate to strong foehn wind in the Alpine valleys in the north

Weather review for Tuesday

The precipitation ended in the north overnight to Tuesday. The snowfall level was between 1300 m and 1600 m. In the late morning, it was increasingly sunny in the north and east, and elsewhere mostly sunny.

Fresh snow

From Monday afternoon to Tuesday morning, above approximately 2000 m:

• Northern Alpine ridge from Les Diablerets to the Alpstein region: 20 to 30 cm
• Rest of northern flank of the Alps, rest of Valais, northern and central Grisons, northern Lower Engadine: 10 to 20 cm
• Otherwise a few centimetres, dry in the far south

This means that over the four days since Friday, altitudes above approximately 2500 m saw the following snowfall:

• Northern Alpine ridge: widespread 40 to 60 cm, up to 100 cm of snow in northern Lower Valais, up to 80 cm in the Glarus Alps
• Southern Valais, northern Gotthard region, northern and central Grisons, Silvretta Samnaun: 20 to 40 cm
• Little or no snow further south

Temperature

Rising, at midday at 2000 m between +3 °C in the north and +5 °C in the south

Wind

• Moderate to strong during the night into Tuesday, sometimes a stormy northwesterly wind at high altitudes
• Easing and mostly moderate during the day, but sometimes still strong westerly winds in the northeast

Outlook

During the night into Thursday, some precipitation will fall in the west and south, falling as snow above 2200 to 2400 m. During the day, it will be increasingly sunny in the north and brighter in the south. On Friday it will be mostly sunny in the north, and cloudy but mostly dry in the south. It will remain mild with the zero-degree level at 3000 m. The south to southwesterly wind will still be moderate to strong during the night into Thursday, otherwise mostly light to moderate.

The risk of dry avalanches will continue to decrease, Wet and gliding avalanches will still be possible.