Considerable avalanche danger will be encountered in some regions
Edition: 26.4.2022, 17:00 / Next update: 27.4.2022, 18:00
Snowpack
The fresh snow that fell at the weekend in the south is settling and bonding to an increasing extent, but only slowly on north facing slopes in the high Alpine regions. Monday and Tuesday’s fresh snow in the north and fresh snow drift accumulations are prone to triggering in particular on north and east facing steep slopes at elevated altitudes.
Underneath the fresh snow the snowpack is thoroughly moist up to elevated altitudes in the high Alpine regions on south facing slopes, below approximately 3000 m on west and east facing slopes, and below approximately 2400 m on north facing slopes. In isolated cases avalanches can release the saturated snowpack.
Observed weather on Tuesday, 26.04.2022
Monday night was partly clear in the inneralpine regions, otherwise mostly overcast, and a few centimetres of snow fell locally. During the day in the south and in northern and central Grisons there were sunny spells at first, otherwise it was mostly overcast with showery precipitation. The snowfall level was between 1500 m in the north and 1900 m in the south.
Fresh snow
In the period from Monday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon, 5 to 15 cm of snow was deposited locally in showers. From Sunday afternoon until Tuesday afternoon, the following aggregate amounts of snow fell above approximately 2200 m:
  • Central Swiss Alps excluding Urseren: 30 to 45 cm
  • Rest of the northern Alpine ridge from Les Diablerets into Alpstein, rest of the central and eastern parts of the northern flank of the Alps, Goms, Gotthard region, Prättigau: 15 to 30 cm
  • Elsewhere: 5 to 15 cm; none in the far south
Temperature
At midday at 2000 m: between -2 °C in the northwest and +2 °C in the southeast
Wind
Light to moderate, in the east moderate to strong at times, from westerly directions
Weather forecast through Wednesday, 27.04.2022
On Tuesday night the skies will be mostly clear in the west and south. In the north and east the showers will cease. The snowfall level will be approximately 1400 m. In the east the residual cloud will finally disperse on Wednesday morning. During the day it will be generally mostly sunny.
Fresh snow
During Tuesday night above approximately 1800 m:
  • Northern flank of the Alps from the eastern Bernese Alps to Liechtenstein, northern Grisons: 5 to 10 cm
  • Elsewhere: a few centimetres or none
Temperature
Increasing, at midday at 2000 m: about +4 °C in the west and south and about +2 °C in the east
Wind
Light to moderate from the northwest to northeast
Outlook through Friday, 29.04.2022
With mostly clear skies at night, each of the coming days will be mostly sunny. In central and southern Ticino low-altitude cloudbanks will prevail in the mornings, but they will disperse as the day progresses. On Friday high-altitude cloudbanks will build up from the west. The weather will become milder and the zero degree level will rise to approximately 3000 m. The wind will be light to moderate from northerly directions.
The danger of dry avalanches will continue to decrease, but avalanches can still be released in particular on north facing slopes in the high Alpine regions. On each of the coming days the danger of wet snow avalanches will be low after the clear nights, but then increase quickly under the influence of daytime warming and solar radiation.