PA #8: Two powder days. Rising temperatures and rain, but 2018 starts with powder!

It started snowing heavily on the south side of the main alpine ridge in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. The quantities vary from 5 to 30 cm of fresh snow and it is still snowing on the south side of the Alps. At the same time, there's a strong Föhn wind in Austria, which will be gone by the end of this afternoon/evening when the cold air comes in. It will also start snowing again in the northern French Alps and the rest of the northern Alps from that moment. In this forecast:

• From southern Stau to northwestern Stau
• Thursday and Friday are powder days
• Snow line at 2000-2200 meter on Saturday, lots of wind and rising temperatures on Sunday
• New Year's Day will be a powder day

From southern Stau to northwestern Stau

I've already described extensively what the weather will look like in the coming days yesterday. Today, that prediction is still standing strong with some minor changes. Check out the forecast from yesterday. As announced, it is now snowing heavily on the south side of the main alpine ridge. Check out the images below from Puy Saint Vincent, Madesimo and San Domenico.

Check out the highlights for Wednesday and Thursday below:

• Wednesday morning: the heavy snowfall on the south side of the main alpine ridge moves towards the northeast of Italy, Slovenia and the south of Austria (Carinthia and Ost-Tirol).
• Wednesday afternoon: it is now snowing heavily on the south side of the main alpine ridge (the north-east of Italy, Slovenia and the south of Austria (Carinthia and Ost-Tirol), with the snowfall managing to cross the main alpine ridge in Austria and it will start snowing in the south of Tyrol and the Salzburgerland. At the same time a cold front enters the French Alps and it starts to snow again in the northern French Alps and the north of the southern French Alps. The snow line drops deep into the valleys.
• Night from Wednesday to Thursday: it is now snowing continuously in the northern French Alps, the north of the southern French Alps and the north side of the main alpine ridge. The border regions of Austria, Italy and Slovenia also get some extra snow. There won't be any precipitatino in the rest of the southern Alps and there is a strong wind from the north. It becomes cold, very cold.
• Thursday morning: the snowfall on the northern side of the main alpine ridge is moving more and more to the east. There's some room for the sun in the southern Alps and the southern French Alps. The sun will also starts to shine in the French northern Alps and western Switzerland later that day.
• Friday: starts with sunshine everywhere, but a new front comes in from the west pretty soon. This becomes an active warm front which will bring precipitation in the French Alps in the afternoon, while it is still sunny in the east of the Alps. Because it's still cold in the valleys it will snow deep into the valleys, but the snow line rises rapidly in the course of the afternoon and evening.

PowderAlert #8: Thursday and Friday are powder days

Thursday and Friday are powder days. The snow from Wednesday and Thursday result in great conditions and the tree runs are in great shape in many places. Tips for the coming days are the following regions:

• French Northern Alps
• The north of the Hautes Alpes
• The north of the Piedmont and of course the Aosta
• Western Wallis
• Bernese Oberland
• Central and Eastern Switzerland
• Vorarlberg
• Ost-Tirol
• Lombardia
• Trentino
• The Hohe Tauern in the Salzburgerland
• Alpi di Giulia
• The south of Carinthia
• Slovenia

Please be aware of the wind. Both before, during and after the storm, the wind has transported a lot of snow. This will increase the probability of wind slabs. Keep in mind that it's also very busy in the Alps and there can be some powder panic. Always ride with your head!

• Check out the local avalanche forecast and adapt your plans to it
• Always ride with avalanche beacon, shovel and probe
• Ride with your powder buddies
• And don't forget to have fun!

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Snow line at 2000-2200 meter on Saturday, lots of wind and rising temperatures on Sunday

A warm front enters the Alps on Friday. You can see that front on the map above. This front already brings snow to the French Alps after lunch and to Switzerland and the west of Austria later that day. The snow line rises during the day towards the 1600 meters and perhaps even higher. Warmer air arrives into the northern Alps on Saturday morning. You can expect precipitation with a snow line that rises (perhaps even to 2000-2200 meters) in the French northern Alps, Switzerland and Austria in the course of the Saturday. It will be dry and mild on Sunday, but because there's a new storm approaching the wind will be strong.

New Year's Day will be a powder day

The cold front above (the blue line) is expected in the Alps around New Year. The timing is not entirely certain yet, but it would be nice to toast with fresh flakes falling down. Then go to bed quickly, because it looks like 2018 starts with a powder day.

There's some more trouble on the snow maps for the days after New Year's Day, with a shifting snow line. More about that later this week. But enjoy the next couple of days first!

Stay stoked, Morris