As a result of fresh snow and intermittently storm-strength westerly winds, the snowdrift accumulations will continue to grow in frequency and size during Thursday night. In the western and the northern regions they will be large-sized in some places, in the southern regions they will be small-to-medium sized. Fresh snow and freshly generated snowdrift accumulations are prone to triggering, particularly on north-facing and east-facing slopes.
In Grisons and in the Valais more than anywhere else, weak layers are still evident in the ground-level old snow above approximately 2200 to 2400 m in all aspects. Avalanches are currently unlikely to trigger in these deeply embedded weak layers of the snowpack.

Following a night of partially clear skies there were extended bright intervals during the daytime hours. In the afternoon in western regions, heavy cloud cover moved in.

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At midday at 2000 m, between +5 °C in the Valais and in Grisons, +2 °C in the northern regions and -1 °C in the southern regions.

Winds in the northern regions and in the Valais were frequently blowing at moderate to strong velocity, in Grisons blowing at increasingly moderate to strong velocity, and in the Ticino predominantly at light strength, from westerly to southwesterly directions.

On Thursday night, snowfall is anticipated over widespread areas. The snowfall level will swiftly descend from 1800 down to 1000 m. As morning approaches, skies are expected to clear up. In the northern regions skies will become increasingly overcast during the course of the day. In the southern regions it will remain rather sunny.

By Friday morning the following amounts of fresh snow are expected above approximately 2000 m:

• northern and furthermost western parts of Lower Valais: 20 to 40 cm;
• northern flank of the Alps: 15 to 30 cm;
  
• remaining regions of Switzerland and on the summits of the western Jura region: 5 to 15 cm over widespread areas.
  

At midday at 2000 m, -5 °C in the northern regions and -2 °C in the southern regions.

Winds will be blowing from westerly directions,

• frequently at strong-to-storm velocity during the nocturnal hours;
  
• during the daytime hours in the northern regions and at heightened altitudes in general, blowing predominantly at moderate strength; in the southern regions at light to moderate strength.