Spring break begins on Saturday in the southern region. Many residents of that area would then travel to the Alps for a skiing holiday. It's still “quite mild” there, Weerplaza reports. Heavy rains are expected on the southern side of the mountain range.
The expected precipitation is the result of the so-called genoa layer. This depression arises when a certain northerly current passes over Western Europe. It then collides with warm, humid air over the Gulf of Genoa. The disturbance usually persists in that area, but every now and then the Genoa Depression can move along the southwestern Alps. This will be the case in the coming days.
As a result, “a lot of rain” could fall in parts of the French, Swiss and Italian Alps, Weerplaza reports. This can lead to problems on the lower slopes of the French and Italian Alps, where the snow line ranges between 1,500 and 1,800 metres.
On Sunday afternoon, the rainfall area will also reach the Austrian provinces of Vorarlberg, Tyrol and Salzburg. Weather models show clear periods only during the night from Sunday to Monday.
Fohn winds in the northern Alps
On the northern side of the Alps, vacationers have to deal with another weather phenomenon: drying winds. This “hair dryer” begins to blow when humid air from the Mediterranean rushes towards the Alps from the south. The air gets cooler as it rises, but when the flow on the north side of the Alps moves toward the valley, the air warms again.
As a result, the temperature will be around 10 to 12 degrees on Saturday in popular Austrian winter sports resorts such as Flachau, Altenmarkt-Zauchensee and Kitzbühel. The temperature in Ehrwald reaches about 14 degrees. Temperatures around freezing are normal for this time of year.
Next week the weather will remain mild for this time of year in almost the entire Alpine region. There is still light or moderate frost in the evening and night. A new high pressure area will develop over the next week. This causes afternoon temperatures to rise to double figures, especially on Thursday.
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