PowderAlert #18 finally brought that northwest stau that at least everybody in the northern Alps was waiting for and the reports said it all. Finally cold powder for the north and Saturday wasn’t even that crowded in the mountains, even though the holidays are full on. The sun is dominating on Sunday and Monday and the southern current is bringing warm air to the northern Alps. It’s about four degrees cooler in the southern Alps, but the sun is getting higher and higher and is getting stronger and stronger. That’s going to be a even worse later in March. Okay, it’s normal, but in this winter?
But the best weeks are still to come. You can find a nice base layer in the complete Alps, big enough to ride nice lines till the end of the season. Keep paying attention in the inner alpine areas in the northern Alps. There’s a sugar snow layer deep in the snow cover that could become a problem the next time we’re dealing with a period of higher temperatures. It could become a weak layer that can trigger big slides.
Sunny and mild
The Alps have to deal with warm air caused by high pressure area Friedhelm. The days are mild and sunny, the nights are clear and cold. There might be a chance that a layer of surface hoar will form during those nights on slopes with a northern exposure and in the trees. This layer could become a problem when the next snow comes down at the end of the week. The sun will stick around till Tuesday, and that will be the day when the first high clouds will come in from the west.
Weather will change after Tuesday
We can head for the western Alps from Wednesday to ride some freshies. It’s not sure how much snow will come down. I don’t expect too much to be honest. I expect the most snow at the end of the week. Enjoy some sunny days and after that…PowderAlert #19.
Stay stoked
Morris