More Wet Snow Avalanches in the Future

19th November 2024

The organisation has been looking at how climate change will affect the avalanche situation in Switzerland by the end of the century.

Wet snow avalanches will become more frequent in the coming decades according to the study by SLF researcher Stephanie Mayer.

She has investigated the consequences of climate change on avalanche activity in Switzerland above 1,800 meters above sea level.

“The number of dry avalanches will decrease, but above the tree line, the increase in wet snow avalanches will partially offset this decrease,” said Stephanie Mayer.

Over the course of the century, wet snow avalanches will increasingly occur during the peak tourist season.

In the case of wet snow avalanches, at least part of the snowpack in the avalanche start zone, the area in which the avalanche is released, has been moistened by melt or rain water.

In contrast to their dry counterparts, however, avalanche safety services can rarely set off wet snow avalanches artificially.

“The only safety measure that helps is to close endangered areas of a ski resort.”

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People should also pay more attention to the issue of wet snow avalanches, she says, as they become more frequent in high winter.

Mayer has calculated her scenarios for seven locations in Switzerland and she believes her results are transferable to the entire Alpine region.