Some snow in the forecast, but it's not much and it's not sure

It’s snowing (or it feels like winter) in lots of mountain ranges on the northern hempishere, but western Europe seems to be the big exception. It will stay like this a bit longer, so don’t get too excited, even though there’s some snow in the forecast according to our weather maps. In this forecast:

• Why doesn’t it snow in western Europe?
• What should happen to let it snow?
• Some colors on the snow maps

Why doesn’t it snow in western Europe?

Check out the temperature map of the northern hemisphere at 1300 meters altitude below. Blue and more dark is below zero, green is above zero. It’s striking that it’s cold in lots of regions in the northern hemisphere, but western Europe colors green and yellow.

That’s simply bad luck. And high pressure area is still causing this crappy situation. The jetstream just doesn’t manage to penetrate Uwe and change the weather. The jet stream is strong pretty much everywhere, except in western Europe. It travels to Scandivia and is deviated from the Alps with a big turn that Shane McConkey would have been proud of.

That southern jet stream results in temperatures lower than normal in many parts of the northern hemisphere. Exceptions are again western Europe and the North Pole.

Because of this powerful high pressure area not a single storm depression is able to reach the Alps and as a result the weather in the Alps is dry and mild.

What should happen to let it snow?

It hasn’t snowed since November 25th. Such a long period of high pressure is also called a blockade. Although they’re doing research on this subject for years, it’s not clear how they come into being, why they hang out there for such a long time, and why they leave without further notice.

We simply do not exactly know what’s needed to make such a blockade disappear. There are rumors that the frequency waves of snow dancing freeriders are a major factor in breaking through a high-pressure blockade. There is no evidence that this is true, but it is not proven that it doesn’t work either. Until then, I keep on dancing. Will you join me?

Some colors on the snow maps

There are some colors visible on the snow maps, but it’s all still very fragile because each run again appears to be slightly different.

And if every run results in different output, you may assume that you can just have a look in your crystal ball. Only when the computer models agree four times in a row, than it’s time to start waxing. Until that moment, I’ll keep on staring in my crystal bal, turn on the music and keep on dancing.

The snow will definitely fall.
Stay stoked. Morris