Avalanche danger today in the Alps
Today's avalanche danger level in Switzerland, Austria, Italy, France and Slovenia from the official avalanche bulletins, on the European scale from 1 Low to 5 Very high, with the main avalanche problems, when each bulletin is valid and a link to the issuing service. Times are Central European time.
Follow the official bulletin and local guidance. This page summarises the official avalanche bulletins so you can see the level at a glance. It is not a forecast of its own and not advice on where to go: read the full bulletin for your area before going into avalanche terrain.
Daily avalanche bulletins for the 2026-27 winter have not started yet
None of the services this page reads has a bulletin in force right now. Most Alpine services start daily bulletins in late November or December, once there is enough snow, and publish them until April or May. Some publish earlier bulletins after heavy autumn snowfall; they will appear here when they do. Until then, the services are linked below.
Avalanche danger by country
| Country | Highest level today | Regions by level | Issued by |
|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | could not be read just now | - | SLF |
| Austria | Daily bulletins not started | - | Euregio (avalanche.report) |
| Italy | Daily bulletins not started | - |
Euregio (avalanche.report) (South Tyrol) Euregio (avalanche.report) (Trentino) |
| France | Daily bulletins not started | - | Météo-France |
| Slovenia | Daily bulletins not started | - | ARSO |
Services linked, not shown here
These warning services publish their own bulletins. This site found no licence that lets it reproduce them, so it links to them instead.
- Germany (Bavaria): Lawinenwarndienst Bayern
- Austria (other provinces): Austrian avalanche warning services
- Italy (other regions): AINEVA
Every European avalanche warning service is listed by the European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS).
When the daily bulletins start
- SLF: SLF usually starts its daily bulletin in late November or early December and runs it until late April or early May. Before the daily bulletin starts it publishes bulletins only after significant snowfall. Official bulletin.
- Euregio (avalanche.report): The Euregio services usually start daily bulletins around the beginning of December and run them until early May; last season's final bulletin was valid until 3 May 2026. Official bulletin.
- Météo-France: Météo-France describes its avalanche bulletins (BRA) as issued from early November to early June, one per massif in the Alps, the Pyrenees and Corsica. Official bulletin.
- ARSO: ARSO issues its avalanche bulletin during the snow season, usually from December into spring. Official bulletin.
The European avalanche danger scale
All Alpine services use the same five levels. The level rates the whole region; the bulletin says on which elevations and aspects the danger is greatest.
| Level | Snowpack | Triggering | Natural avalanches |
|---|---|---|---|
| Low (level 1 of 5) | The snowpack is generally well bonded and stable. | Triggering is generally possible only with a large additional load, on isolated extremely steep slopes. | Only small natural avalanches are possible. |
| Moderate (level 2 of 5) | The snowpack is only moderately well bonded on some steep slopes. | Triggering is possible mainly with a large additional load, on the steep slopes the bulletin names. | Very large natural avalanches are not expected. |
| Considerable (level 3 of 5) | The snowpack is only moderately to weakly bonded on many steep slopes. | Triggering is possible even by a single skier or walker, on the steep slopes the bulletin names. | Some large, and in places very large, natural avalanches are possible. |
| High (level 4 of 5) | The snowpack is weakly bonded on most steep slopes. | Triggering is likely even by a single person, on many steep slopes. | Many large, and often very large, natural avalanches are likely. |
| Very high (level 5 of 5) | The snowpack is generally weakly bonded and largely unstable. | Triggering is likely almost everywhere. | Numerous very large, and often extremely large, natural avalanches are expected, also in moderately steep terrain. |
The avalanche problems
Besides the level, each bulletin names the typical avalanche problems of the day, because each calls for different behaviour in the terrain.
- New snow: Fresh or recent snowfall that has not yet bonded to the old snow. The amount of new snow, wind and temperature decide how critical it is.
- Wind slab: Snow moved by the wind and packed into slabs, typically on lee slopes, in gullies and behind ridges. Slabs can be triggered by one person.
- Persistent weak layers: Weak layers buried in the old snowpack that can stay reactive for weeks. Hard to recognise, avalanches can be large and can be triggered from a distance.
- Wet snow: The snowpack weakens as melt water or rain soaks into it, often rising through the day with warming.
- Gliding snow: The whole snowpack slides on smooth ground such as grass or rock slabs. Glide cracks can release at any time of day and are hard to predict.
Questions
What is the avalanche danger in the Alps today?
No daily avalanche bulletin is in force right now in the countries this page reads. The 2026-27 daily bulletins have not started yet: most Alpine services start in late November or December, once there is enough snow, and run until April or May. Each official service is linked on this page.
What does avalanche danger level 3 (considerable) mean?
The snowpack is only moderately to weakly bonded on many steep slopes. Triggering is possible even by a single skier or walker, on the steep slopes the bulletin names. Some large, and in places very large, natural avalanches are possible. Many fatal avalanche accidents happen at levels 2 and 3, because people are out in steep terrain while the danger looks moderate.
When do the daily avalanche bulletins start?
Most Alpine services publish a daily bulletin from late November or December until April or May, depending on snow. SLF in Switzerland usually starts in late November or early December, the Euregio services (Tyrol, South Tyrol, Trentino) around the beginning of December, and Météo-France describes its bulletins as issued from early November to early June. Outside the season some services publish only after significant snowfall.
What are the avalanche problems?
The European Avalanche Warning Services describe five typical problems: new snow, wind slab, persistent weak layers, wet snow and gliding snow. Each needs different behaviour in the terrain, so the bulletin names the problems as well as the level, with the elevations and aspects where they apply.
Can I use this page to decide whether to go off-piste or ski touring?
No. This page summarises the official bulletins so you can see the level at a glance; it is not a forecast of its own and leaves out the detail that matters on the slope. Read the full official bulletin for your area and follow local guidance, closures and the advice of mountain professionals.
Avalanche danger Switzerland · Avalanche danger Austria · Avalanche danger Italy · Avalanche danger France · Avalanche danger Slovenia · Europe weather warnings · all tools
Avalanche bulletin: WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF (www.slf.ch), CC BY 4.0. Shown as published; levels and problems summarised by this site. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Avalanche bulletin: Avalanche.report, Euregio Tyrol - South Tyrol - Trentino, CC BY 4.0. Shown as published; levels and problems summarised by this site. Licence: CC BY 4.0. Bulletin d'estimation du risque d'avalanche (BRA): Météo-France, Licence Ouverte / Open Licence 2.0. Read from the EAWS bulletin collection at avalanche.report; danger levels summarised by this site, last update as shown. Licence: Licence Ouverte 2.0 (Etalab). Source: Slovene Public Information, ARSO - meteo.si. Read from the EAWS bulletin collection at avalanche.report; levels and problems summarised by this site. Licence: Slovene public information, reuse with attribution. Danger scale and problem names: European Avalanche Warning Services (EAWS); descriptions in this site's words. Read by this site Mon 19 Oct 2026, 20:36 CEST.