Iffigen

Snowpack

At the start of the week, the following amounts of fresh snow fell above approximately 3200 m:

• far west of Lower Valais and on the Northern Alpine Ridge from the Dents du Midi to the Finsteraarhorn: 40 to 60 cm;
• rest of Lower Valais, Val Bregaglia: 20 to 40 cm;
• elsewhere: widely 10 to 20 cm; less in northern and central Grisons.

Before the current precipitation event, snow lines were widely at around 2500 m on the northern flank of the Alps and in northern Grisons, and at 2600 to 2800 m on the western part of the northern flank of the Alps, in Valais and in the other parts of Grisons. A continuous snowpack, which already compensated for terrain irregularities, was mainly present in the glaciated high alpine regions.

Trend for Saturday and Sunday

On Saturday, it will be mostly sunny in the west and south, but will continue to be often cloudy in the east. The zero-degree level will increase during the day towards 2800 m in the west; it will be 2000 m in the east. It will continue to be partly sunny in the east on Sunday. Elsewhere it will be mostly cloudy. In the afternoon, a little snow may fall in the west above approximately 3000 m.

The danger of dry avalanches will decrease, especially on shady slopes in the high alpine regions, but only slowly. As a consequence of solar radiation, moist snow slides from very steep grassy slopes are expected, especially in those regions with fresh snow in the north and in the east.