Mild and sunny first, new storm cycle after that

Around 30-50 cm of fresh snow came down in the northern and southern Piedmont between Thursday evening and Saturday morning. The snow that fell was dry and there was practically no wind below 3000 meters, so you could ride cold and fluffy powder on Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. The temperature started rising rapidly from Saturday afternoon. The jet stream positioned itself north of the Alps, and this allowed mild air to flow into the Alps. This was particularly noticeable on sunny slopes especially on Sunday. Monday will be even milder and the Tuesday will be sunny in large parts of the Alps. The exception is the east of Austria, where a weak front gently touches the northern Alps of Salzburgerland and Styria, but you don’t have to expect large amounts of snow. A new storm cycle will arrive in the Alps on Wednesday and we can prepare ourselves for PowderAlert #13. In this forecast:

• Pasta, espresso and powder
• Mild start of the week
• A new storm cyle from Wednesday
• Scenario right now: snow for the northwest
• Also snow for the border region of Italy, Austria and Slovenia

Pasta, espresso and powder

PowderAlert # 12 was a good alert. The snow was dry and loose. Around 30-50 cm of snow came down especially in the northern and southern Piedmont. Because of the lack of a strong current in the atmosphere, the snowfall in the bordering areas was significantly less. Those who did not opt for pasta, espresso and powder in the Piedmont last weekend were probably a bit disappointed.

Mild start of the week

The storm that positioned itself over the Gulf of Genoa at the start of the weekend quickly filled up. This brought an end to the depression activity and allowed the jetstream (which twisted itself into a U-shape towards the Alps because of this small storm) to position itself north of the Alps during the weekend. The Alps will have to deal with some mild air the next couple of days. Fortunately, the air pressure is relatively high and the sun is shining pretty much everywhere. The sun will dominate especially in the western and southern Alps the next couple of days. It is mild with an air temperature at 2000 meters that fluctuates around +2 to +6 degrees during the day.

The nights are crystal clear, it cools down, the snow cover can lose its moisture and the sunny slopes can freeze up again. The temperature on shady slopes remains just below zero just above the snow cover and this gives the snow the chance to remain loose and powdery. There still is good skiing and boarding to be found. Expert freeriders and good mountain and ski guides know how to find that snow!

A weak warm front will hit the east of Austria on Tuesday. You don’t have to expect any significant precipitation however. The visibility can temporarily decrease in these resorts in the morning.

A new storm cyle from Wednesday

The storms will return to the Alps from Wednesday. Between a powerful high pressure area above the Atlantic Ocean and a system of storm depressions over Scandinavia, the current turns west to northwest, focusing mainly on the northwest of the Alps. The jet stream is heading south again and the Alps will get in colder air.

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Scenario right now: snow for the northwest

With such a northwestern current, the northwest of the Alps is the first region that’s in the line of fire. The most fresh snow is calculated for the northern French Alps, the west and north of Switzerland, the Kleinwalsertal and the Austrian Vorarlberg until this weekend. The snow line fluctuates a bit at the start, but, as we get closer to the next weekend, will significantly drop. I expect it to be completely ON again from Friday. I will tell you more about the current avalanche situation and the problems you have to deal with later this week. The existing snow cover seems to stabilize under its own mass after the enormous precipitation peaks of recent weeks.

Also snow for the border region of Italy, Austria and Slovenia

The map above shows a small T around the Alps. This small depression can become a pleasant surprise on Thursday in the border area of Italy, Austria and Slovenia. If the first front on Wednesday passes the Alps, it is realistic that this front will hit this region with a current from the west to southwest from the Po-valley on Thursday. The snow line is around 1000 meters and will drop a little during the day.

In short: postpone the meetings you have scheduled for Friday. The sun will shine in the Alps the next couple of days and a layer of warm wax does not hurt. There will be a new storm cycle coming in on Thursday and it will get colder and colder in the Alps. Do not forget to get your powdermask. It is going to be a nice alert.

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We have introduced wePowder Pro this winter. You’ll get extra weather and terrain data for € 25,08 per year (you can not even buy a day pass for that amount in many places). This allows us to further expand our service and we have found a way to express your support to us. Many of the readers of wePowder have done that already and the whole wePowder team and myself are grateful for that. This allows us to keep on developing to make our service even better. Thank you very much!

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Stay stoked. Morris.