Gstaad

Snowpack

With the solar radiation and warmer temperatures on Monday and Tuesday, the various layers of new and drift snow from last week have mostly settled well. On Wednesday, precipitation will fall on the western part of the Main Alpine Ridge, with heavy precipitation in places. This new snow is drifting significantly at high altitudes. At lower altitudes, the snowpack is being weakened by the rain and wet snow avalanches are increasingly expected.

Before last week's cold snap, the old snowpack on east-, south- and west-facing slopes was already soaked up to approximately 3000 m and on north-facing slopes up to approximately 2500 m. Particularly in inneralpine regions, wet slab avalanches, including large ones, are possible on north-facing slopes as the moistening process progresses.

Gliding avalanches are still possible, increasingly so once again at high altitudes.

Weather forecast until Wednesday, 01.05.2024

Tuesday night into Wednesday will only still be partly clear in the east, with precipitation in the west and south. During the day, it will still be partly sunny in the east. Precipitation is expected along and to the south of the Main Alpine Ridge, with heavy precipitation anticipated on the Upper Valais Main Alpine Ridge. The snowfall level will be around 2400 m.

New snow

From Tuesday afternoon to Wednesday afternoon, the following amounts of fresh snow are expected above approximately 2800 m:

• Upper Valais Main Alpine Ridge: 40 to 70 cm;
• remaining western part of the Main Alpine Ridge, Aletsch region and Bedretto: 15 to 30 cm;
• rest of the Main Alpine Ridge: a few centimetres.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, +7 °C in the west, +9 °C in the east and +3 °C in the south.

Wind

There will be a moderate to strong southeasterly wind, with a strong southerly foehn wind at times in the regions of the north that are exposed to the foehn wind.

Weather review for Tuesday, 30.04.2024

There was still some precipitation on the western part of the Main Alpine Ridge and in northern Ticino in the morning. During the day, it was quite sunny with some high patches of cloud.

New snow

On the Upper Valais Main Alpine Ridge: 5 to 10 cm.

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, +10 °C in the west and east and +6 °C in the south.

Wind

There was a southerly wind:

• moderate in the north at altitude, strong at times;
• occasionally strong southerly foehn wind in the regions of the north that are exposed to the foehn wind.

Trend until Friday, 03.05.2024Thursday, 02.05.2024

It will be mostly very cloudy with occasional precipitation. The snowfall level will drop to around 2000 m. On and to the south of the Main Alpine Ridge, 20 to 30 cm of new snow will fall at high altitudes, and up to 50 cm from the Saas Valley to the Simplon region. There will be a mostly moderate southerly wind.

The danger of dry avalanches will continue to increase in the regions exposed to heavier precipitation. The danger of wet avalanches will not change significantly.

Friday, 03.05.2024

It will be cloudy in the north and there will be some precipitation until the afternoon. The snowfall level will fall to around 1500 m. 5 to 15 cm of new snow is expected to fall widely at altitude. The wind will ease. In the south, there will be bright spells at times with a foehn wind from the north.

The danger of dry avalanches will decrease in the regions of the south that have seen a lot of new snow and will increase slightly in the north. The danger of wet avalanches will fall.