Who doesn't want to know exactly what the conditions are like in a particular area? How much fresh snow has fallen, what has the wind done or the temperature? This is where the available weather portals or avalanche reports reach their limits - the limits of communicability. This is where the measured values come into play: they provide very timely and valuable information on a specific point.
Current data
Data from around 160 automatic weather stations (IMIS) and around 210 observers can be accessed on the SLF Davos homepage. The values for fresh snow depth, snow depth, wind speed and direction as well as air and snow surface temperature are available.
But wind and temperature data can also be interesting. Has the snow been blown away or is loose powder still to be expected? This can often be analyzed using the station data.
In this way, much more detailed information can be found about an area than is available in weather and avalanche reports. So it's definitely worth taking a look at the measurement data!
Where is the most snow and what was it like in previous years?
The SLF observation stations provide information on this. The snow depth graphs show whether there is currently more or less snow than the long-term average at a particular station or whether a new snow depth maximum has even been reached.
What the measurement data can and cannot do and where caution is required when interpreting the measured values can be found in the user information.
How the time histories can be read is here and here
Data on White Risk
In addition to the avalanche bulletin and useful basic knowledge for assessing avalanche danger, the SLF White Risk app offers free access to snow and temperature data from the automatic measuring stations of the cantons and the SLF. This information provides a useful data basis for tour planning.
Text: Benjamin Zweifel, SLF.
