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.

N74220311
SNOW AND AVALANCHE BULLETIN FOR HAUTE SAVOIE
(VALID OFF MARKED AND OPEN RUNS)
PREPARED ON SATURDAY MARCH 22
FOR SUNDAY MARCH 23
ESTIMATE OF RISK UNTIL SUNDAY EVENING:
Massif du Mont Blanc: marked risk (level 3), Approaching a high risk (level 4) during the day.
Massive Aravis and Chablais:
A more 1800/2000 m: marked risk (level 3), close to a high risk (level 4) during the day.
Unless 1800/2000 m: limited risk (level 2), close to a marked risk (level 3) during the day.

WEATHER OVERVIEW UNTIL SUNDAY EVENING:
Even some low snowfall this Saturday afternoon taking a character giboulées (5 / 10 cm of snow) and then lull during night and part of Sunday morning under a sky divided between some light passages cloudy . Return to strength of clouds and snow giboulées Sunday mid-day and afternoon (10/20 inches of snow and cold light).
Temperatures 1500 m: -4 to -7 degrees.
Isothermal 0 DG: plain in the morning, then to 900 m Sunday afternoon.
Isothermal -10 DG: 2000 to 2200 m.
Wind at 2000 m: Southwest tonight then north Sunday, 20/30 km / h.
Wind at 4000 m: north-west then north, 20/30 km / h.

SNOW CONDITIONS:
They are excellent in view of the beautiful and abundant snowfall fresh recent 36 hours. Indeed, the thickness of the snowpack is now higher than normal for this time of year, including in the valley bottoms to 1000 m.
At 1000 m, measuring 30/50 cm of snow on the ground according to the valleys and much more in altitude ...
Quality of snow this Sunday: powder on a good thickness. It increases slightly below 1600 m, particularly in the eastern and southern slopes and on replats, but remains cold and light a little higher on average mountain. Nearly peaks and high altitude, there are important irregularities thick snow because of stormy winds on Friday. Expect big snowdrifts everywhere and even snow often worked closely compacted ridges and in areas recently windy, covered with a small layer of snow on little windy.

STABILITY OF SNOW COVER:
Fragile slabs and large avalanches always possible in large steep.
The accumulations of snow reached 40 to 60 cm at 2000 m, 70/80 cm locally in the Mont Blanc massif. Of the ridges and exposed areas, the winds of Southwest blew between 70 and 100 km / h Friday during the snowfall.
Risk of naturallly starting avalanches: the very thick of snow will gradually cup to less than 1600 m, taking a bit of cohesion, but above it is not yet stabilized Sunday. We must expect some purges in steep areas, particularly in east to south with the possible thinning of the morning. A start between 2000 and 2500 m could form a big avalanche of powder with aerosol and spread fairly low altitude.
The risk of an avalanche under the weight of a skier (s): friable many slabs whose surface is powdery snow, were formed recently. Suddenly, in a steep, the transition from one off-piste skier will sometimes be enough to trigger an avalanche mobilizing these accumulations of snow unstable and fragile. The risk is highest in the Mont Blanc massif, and above 1800 m in the Aravis / Chablais. Much distrust becomes the slopes in Northwest, North and East, especially between 2000 and 2600 metres 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, or even to walk down.
TREND LATER RISK:
Risk stationary or slightly decreasing.
Meteo-France updates this newsletter everyday at 16h or sooner if conditions warrant nivométéorologiques.