Wintry weather brings avalanche risk

A man stands at the lakeside in Brunnen, central Switzerland on Thursday afternoon © Keystone / Alexandra Wey

Fresh snowfall – two weeks into spring – has been causing traffic disruption in Switzerland and brought warnings of a high avalanche danger for some regions.

Around 1.5 metres of snow has fallen in some parts of the Alps since Wednesday.

😍
Der Tag nach dem grossen #SchneeExternal link.
😍

^gf pic.twitter.com/qIzQJPEVDXExternal link

— SRF Meteo (@srfmeteo) April 5, 2019External link

Snowfall has now finished, weather services say, but the country is still dealing with the repercussions. The Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF’s avalanche bulletin for FridayExternal link showed level 4  – the second  highest rating – for a large area that includes Andermatt and Locarno in southeastern and southern Switzerland..

It warned of avalanche risks on steep, north-facing slopes, triggered by the weight burden of fresh snow.

“In addition, as a consequence of solar radiation and rising daytime temperatures, numerous moist avalanches can be expected. In the major areas of precipitation, these could be of great magnitude,” it said.

Skiers should stay on piste, the institute said. 

MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, carried this warning as well, from Thursday afternoon.

Heavy overnight snowfall has prompted avalanche alerts in the Swiss Alps. These photos from Göschenen in central Switzerland (70 cm new snow) from Christian Hunkeler via @meteoschweizExternal link. Heed warnings and stay safe. pic.twitter.com/KnVAIJSumbExternal link

— WMO | OMM (@WMO) April 4, 2019External link

Traffic

Hundreds of vehicles were blocked due to snow on the A2 road, around the Gotthard Tunnel – a major alpine transit route, on Thursday. Work to clear the area went on into Thursday night. Canton Uri police saidExternal link that traffic conditions on the axis roads should get back to normal on Friday. Parts of Ticino, the Bernese Oberland and Valais were also affected.

According to Swiss public television SRFExternal link, some motorists encountered problems because they had already switched to summer tyres, meaning they had no grip on the roads. Locals in the San Bernadino region in Ticino said that such snowfall was not unusual for April.

Before the snow, there was sunny weather – it is also expected on FridayExternal link – and the spring flowers had been starting to bloom and blossom.  In some places, they are now covered in snow.

Nach Auflösung des #HochnebelExternal link/s und der Wolkenreste im Osten wird es meist sonnig. Bei Höchstwerten um 9 Grad im Norden und 16 Grad im Süden können die Blüten an den meisten Orten wieder ohne #SchneeExternal link bestaunt werden. ^gf pic.twitter.com/xNPr7Lm5sSExternal link

— SRF Meteo (@srfmeteo) April 5, 2019External link