PA #6: It's snowing in the Alps

By meteomorris on 19 December 2013 · 11

Finally! Today will be a day of looking at webcams. My forecast of yesterday is still going strong!

1. A western current with snow from the west northwest.

2. The second front with lots of snow in the French Alps and the resorts in the main alpine ridge between Italy and Switzerland.

3. Rising temperatures en high pressure

The snowmap below says it all.

I expect the most snow in the French southern Alps, especially in the stau regions of the Ecrins and the far south in resorts such as Isola 2000 and Valberg. The southern Alps will get hammered. Unfortunately, there’s no such thing as a base yet, but with the 40-90 centimeters that problem will be solved. The resorts in the west, south and east of the southern Alps do have an acceptable base, but in the heart of the Ecrins (in resorts like Puy St. Vincent and the Serre Chevalier) they really, really need snow. The resorts south of the line Mt. Blanc, Monte Rosa and Piz Bernina can expect freshies as well. Check out the webcams here. Three days of riding pow in the western parts of the Alps. But please keep in mind that the snowcover is really unstable in some places!

Will Isola 2000 be completely white tomorrow?

White Christmas?

If you go to the higher alpine resorts (and the resorts in the French southern Alps), you’ll have a white Christmas. Same thing for large parts in Italy, where a southwest current will bring snow on Christmas Day. There might be a chance that Austria and other parts in the northern Alps will be hit by a Föhn storm during Christmas. Not a good thing for riding powder. But the weather might change at the end of next week and the northern Alps get some powder. This is visible on the GFS model, but not (yet?) on the European model. So far, the French southern Alps and the other regions of the southern Alps are the place to be.

Another update tomorrow.

Stay stoked

Morris

Comments

• 

  Advanced
  telemikey op 19 December 2013 · 10:46

  In another post (http://wepowder.com/weblog/4824/PowderAlert-%236-Go-west......!) I asked Morris if recrystalisation/ metamorphosis of snow is a problem at the moment.
  
  Arjen commented on the Arlberg region seeing snow transformation there.
  And for France? Well, check: http://www.valdinet.com/events/news/warnings-coming-in-for-avalanches...-... for an idea...
  
  At last snow seems to be on the horizon again. Yey!
  
  BUT...
  
  Be safe out there everyone, this might get ugly really fast!

  White room,Pillow lines,I rule
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  Advanced
  49 op 19 December 2013 · 13:15

  Grazie per la neve che sta scendendo!

  montagna bianca, ti amo
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  Advanced
  georges op 19 December 2013 · 16:09

  Sorry Morris, English speaker here, but what does "stau region" mean, and also you use lots of german (?) words to describe snow conditions and I can't ever find definitions in google...please educate the non-germanic masses (I'm from Bulgaria!!!)

  Follow the snow
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  Beginner
  Adnan op 19 December 2013 · 16:27

  STAU means congestion, jam - Nord-Stau north congestion - if the weather is coming from north or if the weather will be blocked on the north part of the mountains. This also means the snow will fall on the north part of the mountains. The same can be with south, west, east.
  
  Other ist Schneeloch - it means no a snow hole but rather a place where we have more then average snow fall. This is mostly on mountains which gets snow from different directions. Andermatt for e.g. gets snow from both, west and south. Andermatt is a Schneeloch. Obergurgl on the other side gets the snow mostly from south.
  
  Any other German word you would like to translate?
  
  Bier=beer 😃
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  Advanced
  georges op 19 December 2013 · 18:54

  @Adnan, excellent!!!
  Yes there was this guy: harschdeckel.
  Oh, and Бира = beer in Bulgarian!!

  Follow the snow
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  Tourist
  meteomorris op 19 December 2013 · 19:58

  @Adnan, thanks
  @georges harschdeckel = surface crust (Melt-freeze crust at the snow surface).
  
  And it's snowing big time in Isola 2000:
  

  
  
  More webcams: http://wepowder.com/playgrounds/isola-2000/webcams

  May the powder be with you.
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  Advanced
  Powdernick op 19 December 2013 · 20:23

  @meteomorris , i'm heading up there tomorrow. here's praying it's enough.

  Ski ya later.
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  Advanced
  Powdernick op 19 December 2013 · 20:29

  incidentally, if it's snowing up in the hills anything like its raining down here on the coast, it should be pretty good. absolutely pissing down.

  Ski ya later.
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  Advanced
  telemikey op 19 December 2013 · 20:40

  Good luck. Have fun man!

  White room,Pillow lines,I rule
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  Tourist
  meteomorris op 19 December 2013 · 21:02

  @Powdernick, enjoy! It's dumpin'
  And remember.. Pictures or it didn't happen 😉

  May the powder be with you.
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  Advanced
  Powdernick op 19 December 2013 · 21:06

  ha ha @meteomorris i'll do my best.

  Ski ya later.

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