Saas Fee

A generally favourable avalanche situation will prevail. Fresh wind slabs require caution

A generally favourable avalanche situation will prevail. Fresh wind slabs require caution

Only a little snow is lying. Individual avalanche prone locations for dry avalanches are to be found in particular in extremely steep terrain. Apart from the danger of being buried, restraint should be exercised in particular in view of the danger of avalanches sweeping people along and giving rise to falls.

Recently generated snowdrift accumulations are evident in the foehn-exposed regions of the north more than anywhere else. They lie deposited on north-facing slopes in particular, atop expansively metamorphosed (faceted) old snow and are prone to triggering in some places. In spite of strong-velocity southerly winds and foehn, generally few snowdrift accumulations will be generated during the nighttime hours, since there is so little snow to be transported. More deeply embedded inside the snowpack in the southern Valais as well as in the inneralpine and the southern regions of Grisons, there are pronounced weak layers evident. However, since the end of February there have been no further releases recorded as triggering from these weak layers. Nocturnal outgoing longwave radiation on Monday will be reduced. As a consequence of solar radiation and higher temperatures during the daytime hours, wet slides and gliding avalanches are possible, particularly north of an imaginary Rhine-Rhone line on very steep, sunny slopes. In the southern regions there is unusually little snow on the ground, at numerous measurement stations less than has ever before been measured at this juncture of the season. As a consequence of the shallow, often expansively metamorphosed (faceted) snowpack there is currently heightened danger of falling into crevices on the glaciers, most particularly in the southern Valais and in southern Grisons.

In the furthermost western and in the southern regions, nighttime skies were frequently overcast, but it remained predominantly dry. During the daytime hours there were increasingly frequent sunny intervals in the southern regions. In the northern and the eastern regions, nighttime skies were predominantly clear and daytime skies sunny. Fresh snow: - Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between +2 °C in the northern regions and -5 °C in the southern regions. Wind: Winds in the foehn exposed regions of the north were blowing at moderate to strong velocity, at moderate strength in the other regions of Switzerland, from southerly directions. Skies on Sunday night are expected to be predominantly overcast. In the western and the southern regions a small amount of snowfall is anticipated, in the western regions above approximately 1000 m, in the southern regions the snowfall will extend down to low lying areas. During the daytime hours on Monday it will initially be sunny in the northern regions. During the course of the day, heavy cloud cover will move in from the west once again. In the southern regions there will be only brief intervals of brightness. Fresh snow: By Monday morning, the following amounts of fresh snow are anticipated above approximately 1000 m: - western part of Jura region: 5 to 10 cm; - Vaud and Fribourg Alps, Lower Valais, southern Valais, Main Alpine Ridge from Nufen Pass into the Bernina region and southwards therefrom: as much as 5 cm; - in the remaining regions of Switzerland it is generally expected to remain dry. Temperature: At midday at 2000 m, between 0 °C in the northern regions and -2 °C in the southern regions. Wind: - Winds in the foehn-exposed regions of the north will be blowing at strong velocity until early morning; - during the daytime hours, winds will slacken off, but persist from southerly directions.

Tuesday: On Monday night in the southern regions, a small amount of snowfall is anticipated. During the daytime on Tuesday, skies will frequently be overcast on both flanks of the Alps. As a result of strong-velocity southerly to southwesterly winds it will become significantly milder. The avalanche situation is not expected to change significantly. Wednesday: Following a night of clear skies it is expected to be sunny over widespread areas and quite mild. The danger of dry-snow avalanches is not expected to change significantly. North of an imaginary Rhine-Rhone line more than anywhere else, gliding avalanches are possible. As a consequence of the mild temperatures and solar radiation, the dangers of wet-snow avalanches are expected to increase somewhat during the course of the day.