Mild and sunny first, new storm cycle after that

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.

Views
Views
and sprays
and sprays

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.

Current from the northwest
Current from the northwest

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.

Discount on Mountain Academy

Want access to the most comprehensive online backcountry snow safety courses for skiers and snowboarders? Use code “TIMETOPLAY1718”, valid until the beginning of March, to get access for only 9€ (Reg: 29€). Go to Mountain Academy and start now!

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.

wePowder Pro members: thanks for your support!!

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!

Are you not a wePowder Pro yet, but do you regularly read the weather forecast or use the services on wePowder? With an upgrade to wePowder Pro you support us, you can express your gratitude and you’ll ride more powder. And it works great for your karma as well. Thanks! Oh, and you’ll get a free 7-day trial when you register yourself on wePowder. No strings attached!

Stay stoked. Morris.

meteomorris

Replies

Tourist
AnonymousAuthor28 January 2018 · 22:08

Hi there im Jay,
I am heading to alpbach next Saturday 3 feb for 7 days can you tell me what to expect with
SNOW while I am there and run up this week before I go. Thank you

Tourist
camillaandersen144Author29 January 2018 · 21:23

Hi there, and thanks for your awesome work!! :)

I was just wondering - where on the site can I see at what time the list of which resorts gets the most snow is updated, and how often does this list get an update? And when will your next update article be?

Best regards, Camilla (we powder pro)

Expert
meteomorrisAuthor29 January 2018 · 22:46

@camillaandersen144 the resort list is updated every morning in the early hours. The same applies for our maps. My articles are updates at least 4 times a week during winter depending on where I am and the actual snow Conditions (field research ;))

@Beachboy you can find the 14 day forecast for Alpbach here: https://wepowder.com/en/alpbach

powfinder.com
Tourist
camillaandersen144Author30 January 2018 · 07:14

@@meteomorris Thanks a lot for your quick reply, its Good to know for a snow junkie who pushes “update” every 10th minute!? Enjoy your field research, I might do some research myself!??‍♀️

Tourist
tarekbayazidAuthor30 January 2018 · 10:20

Hi Morris, hope you’re shredding this week. I’m set to be in Courmayeur on Fri + Sat, with conditions looking pretty juicy. I could also ski Sunday but would cost me a few hundred euros to do it. You think it’ll still be good on Sunday, or will the warm temps have ruined it by then? Happy to spend the loot on a pow day, but just don’t want to burn money to ski on glue. It looks like it’ll be snowing pretty hard, so I need the lower half of the mountain to be worthwhile. Thanks bro!

Expert
meteomorrisAuthor31 January 2018 · 08:39

@@tarekbayazid I was on the road the last few days. I would only go friday + saturday. High pressure might take over afterwards. So save the money for later.

@@camillaandersen144 will update my forecast the upcoming hours.

powfinder.com
Reply
Never miss a PowderAlert!

Get updates on the latest news, PowderAlerts and more!