Luganese

Snowpack

The fresh snow that has fallen in the west and south this week has become firmly settled and consolidated. The strong southerly winds and fresh snow on the Main Alpine Ridge and in the south are resulting in snowdrift accumulations that are prone to triggering. In the inneralpine regions of Grisons in particular, where there has been only little fresh snow, faceted weak layers in the old snowpack are still sometimes prone to triggering.

The snowpack is water-saturated on southern slopes up to the high alpine regions and on eastern and western slopes upto around 2800 m. On northern slopes, most of the old snowpack is water-saturated up to around 2400 m. Medium to large wet and gliding avalanches are to be expected, in the north mainly as the day progresses, but all day in the south with little outgoing longwave radiation and rain. In the regions in the Bernese Oberland and Valais which have experienced heavy snowfall, medium-sized gliding avalanches are possible even below 2000 m.

Weather forecast to Sunday

The night will see clear intervals in the north, and snowfall in the south. During the day, conditions will be quite sunny, especially in central and eastern Switzerland and central Valais. In the west, there will be frequent cloudy periods with showers as the day progresses, while snow will fall in the south. The snowfall level will be between 1800 and 2000 m.

Fresh snow

From Saturday afternoon to Sunday afternoon, the following amounts of snow will fall above approximately 2200 m:

• Upper Valais Main Alpine Ridge, Val Bedretto, Upper Valle Maggia: 30 to 50 cm
• rest of the Valais Main Alpine Ridge, Valle Leventina, as well as from the Lukmanier Pass to the Avers Valley and south of there: 15 to 30 cm
• northern Upper Valais, Val Bregaglia to Bernina region: 5 to 15 cm

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m in Valais, the northeast and Grisons +6 °C, in the northwest and the south +3 °C

Wind

Strong southerly

Weather review for Saturday

Conditions were quite sunny in the north and in Valais. Little snow fell on the southern flank of the Alps.

Fresh snow

A few centimetres in the south, otherwise dry

Temperature

At midday at 2000 m, between +7 °C in the north and Valais and +2 °C in the south

Wind

• Moderate southwesterly at night
• Rising to moderate to strong southerly in the daytime

Outlook

Overnight to Monday, the Main Alpine Ridge will see a few more centimetres of snow above approximately 2000 m. Elsewhere there will be cloudy intervals. The daytime will be quite sunny in many regions, with cumulus clouds. Conditions will become increasingly sunny in the Engadine.

Outgoing longwave radiation will reduce overnight to Tuesday, and daytime conditions will be quite sunny. Along the Prealps there will be larger cumulus clouds and local snow showers above 2000 m.

Winds will be mostly light southerlies on both days. The zero-degree level will be around 2500 m.

The risk of dry avalanches will decrease. As temperatures rise in the daytime sunshine, wet and gliding avalanches are to be expected.