Climate change and... avalanches

Powder avalanche (Photo: Michael Bründl / SLF) - Climate change is having an impact on avalanche activity. Wet snow avalanches can be expected earlier and more frequently, while instabilities in dry snowpack are becoming less common. Unexpected changes in the weather, such as rain in midwinter, will continue to make the work of avalanche warning services and rescue workers challenging, not only in open terrain but also in ski resorts. Less snow does not mean fewer avalanches. SLF researchers have investigated the effects that climate change will have on avalanche activity in Switzerland above 1,800 m. The number of dry avalanches will decline, but this will be accompanied by an increase in the number of wet snow avalanches, depending on the climate scenario, even during the peak tourist season. This impact will only be marginally apparent in the next few decades, but will become increasingly noticeable by the end of the century. However, avalanche safety services have very little scope for triggering wet snow avalanches artificially.