Avalanche bulletin and weather forecast Haute Savoie

This avalanche translation of the Meteo France avalanche bulletin is produced mainly through an automated translation tool.  Please use it in conjunction with the French bulletin found at the above link.

N74210311
SNOW AND AVALANCHE BULLETIN FOR HAUTE SAVOIE
(VALID OFF MARKED AND OPEN RUNS)
PREPARED ON FRIDAY 21 MARCH
FOR SATURDAY MARCH 22

ESTIMATE OF RISK UNTIL SATURDAY EVENING:

Massif du Mont Blanc: high risk (level 4)
Massive Aravis and Chablais:
Higher than 1800 m: high risk (level 4)
Lower than 1800 m: marked risk (level 3)

WEATHER OVERVIEW UNTIL SATURDAY EVENING:
The snowfall continues into the night of Friday to Saturday, about 10/15 cm. Saturday, a little clearing is possible in the morning, but still a lot of clouds. Snow in the afternoon, an additional 10 cm at 2000 m. Temperatures 1500 m: -2 to -4 DG.
Isothermal 0 DG: 900 m.
Wind at 2000 m: Southwest 20/30 km/h.
Wind at 4000 m: West 40 km/h.

SNOW CONDITIONS:
Beautiful increase in progress. This snow is based directly on the ground below 1200 m in the north, 1500 m in the South.
Quality of snow on Saturday: powder with a good thickness. It increases slightly below 1500 m but remained cold and light in the middle mountain slopes sheltered from the wind. Major irregularities in altitude because of stormy winds this Friday: large snowdrifts across snow and even worked closely compact peaks and windy areas.

STABILITY OF SNOW COVER: fragile slabs and large avalanches possible

The accumulations of snow reached 30 to 50 cm at 2000 m, 70 cm locally in the Mont Blanc. The wind of Southwest blew between 70 and 100 km / h Friday during the snowfall.

Likelihood of spontaneous departure avalanche: the very thick of fresh snow had not had time to stabilize. It is expected purges in the steep, especially with east to south under the light of the morning. A start between 2000 and 2500 m could form a big avalanche of powder with aerosol and spread fairly low.

The risk of an avalanche: friable many slabs were formed, sometimes covered in the powdery fell with less wind during the night. The passage of a single off-piste skier can be enough to trigger an avalanche in these accumulations unstable and fragile. The risk is highest in the Mont Blanc and Aravis / Chablais above 1800 meters. Much suspicion is the slopes in Northwest, North and East, especially between 2000 and 2600 meters where the snowpack already showed some weaknesses before the snowfall. In these circumstances, we can choose to focus on hiking routes little stiff, avoiding areas and large convex slopes above sea level.

TREND FOR SUNDAY: Stationary risk globally, fewer departures spontaneous but fragile slabs.
Meteo-France updates this newsletter everyday at 16h or sooner if conditions warrant nivométéorologiques.