Gstaad

Snowpack

The avalanche danger is currently largely determined by the near-surface layers. The old snowsurface is angular in many places and there is widespread surface hoar. This is an unfavourable surface for the coming new snow and fresh snowdrift accumulations. The moderate to strong westerly to northwesterly wind will transport the new snow and, in places, the old snowpack. There are hardly any critical weak layers deeper in the snowpack.

Some medium-sized and, rarely, large gliding avalanches are still possible, especially at altitudes between 2000 and 2600 m.

Weather forecast for Monday, 15.01.2024

It will be mostly sunny on the central and eastern parts of the southern flank of the Alps. In the west and north, it will be very cloudy and snow will fall down to low altitudes.

New snow

From Sunday afternoon to Monday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow are expected:

• Lower Valais on the border with France: 20 to 35 cm;
• the rest of Valais, the northern flank of the Alps: 10 to 20 cm, with less expected elsewhere and the southeast remaining dry.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between -8 °C in the north and -3 °C in the south.

Wind

There will be an increasingly strong westerly to northwesterly wind, also with stormy winds in the high Alpine regions.

Weather review for Sunday, 14.01.2024

It was mostly cloudy in the west and south, but still fairly sunny in the northeast.

New snow

-

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, around -2 °C.

Wind

There was a moderate to strong wind from the west to the northwest at high altitudes.

Trend until Wednesday, 17.01.2024Tuesday

It will mainly be sunny and dry. It will still be cold. There will be hardly any change in the avalanche danger.

Wednesday

Precipitation will fall in the west and north, with the snowfall level in the north rising towards 2000 m. There will be a strong to storm-force westerly wind. The danger of dry avalanches will rise. Below 2000 m, a slight increase in gliding avalanche activity is also expected with rain in the north.