Heavy snowfall provided a thick layer of fresh snow in large parts of the Alps last week. A fair amount of snow also fell this weekend. Next week will remain dry and sunny. Ski weather will be nearly perfect in many areas.
Large amounts of snow fell last week, especially in Switzerland and Austria. Locally, more than one meter of fresh powder has been added. It's still snowing this weekend, but less intense. However, a few centimeters were added back, says Wierplaza.
Most of the valleys were green, because the snow line was relatively high. As a result, the same villages have had a lot of rain recently.
It will remain mainly dry in the coming days. In France, Italy and much of Switzerland, there is almost no new snow. This is not a disaster, because in many places there is now more than 1.50 meters of snow at an altitude of 1,500 metres. Only in the Italian Alps and Dolomites do winter sports enthusiasts have to make do with a relatively thin layer of snow on the slopes.
The dry and sunny period is the result of a high pressure area in the Mediterranean Sea. This pushes the cold towards Scandinavia, Wierplaza says. This means that temperatures in the Alps will rise above freezing, even above 1,500 metres. Only Thursday afternoon will temperatures drop below freezing again.
By New Year's Eve, the Alps will have to deal with the impact of a new low pressure area over the Atlantic Ocean. Some of this could provide new snow early in the year, especially on the northern side of the Alps. Snow may fall again in the valley.
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