Two ice cold PowderAlerts (PA#17 & PA#18)

Hello, I am the Russian Bear and I’m called the Arctic Outbreak in Canada (which I personally prefer). Maybe you don’t know me anymore. I kept quiet for a while. Older riders might still know who I am. Guess what? I’m back! I’ll bring extremely cold days, freezing cold nights and temperatures well beyond your imagination frmo Sunday. I’ll transport cold air from Siberia to the Alps. You’re used to a night with low temperatures, but they will really drop from Sunday.

The western jet stream will be blocked as well. Storm depressions from the west won’t have a chance of reaching the Alps. Only storms in the Mediterranean Sea are tolerated. Storm Sabine and the Russian Bear are going to mix freezing cold polar air with moist air from the Mediterranean Sea in the coming days. This mix will be pushed to the Alps with an eastern current and… Jackpot. The south side of the main alpine ridge can expect snow between Thursday and Sunday and it will get freezing cold right after. It’s an ice cold PowderAlert with cold fresh snow. But do not forget to wear that extra layer. And wear a face mask during the cold mornings. In this forecast:

• Gray and some snowfall in the east
• PowderAlert #17: the (south)east and the Apennines
• A temporary rise in temperature and a lot of fresh snow (PA #18)
• PowderAlert #18 is for the Piedmont, Trentino and the Apennines
• Artic Outbreak

Gray and some snowfall in the east

It is gray, it is snowing and it is cold in the east and south of the Alps. If you go to the west of the Alps, the sun is shining, if you go up to 2000 meters and above. Below that altitude it’s also gray and cold. Most of the snow came down around the Hohe Tauern (the south of the Salzburgerland and the north of Carinthia), the Koralpe (the south of Styria) and the Apennines the last couple of days. It’s ON especially in the Apennines. The photo below was shot at 1200 meters altitude.

PowderAlert #17: the (south)east and the Apennines

PowderAlert #17 is in effect for the southeast of the Alps and the Apennines today. It is still snowing today and tomorrow. With the exception of the Hohe Tauern, this is a PowderAlert in not too steep terrain. The ski areas on the southern border of Styria, the southeast of Carinthia and large parts of Slovenia do not have a lot of vertical and the terrain is not as steep as in the main alpine ridge. But please ride with care. The combination of fresh snow and wind will result in wind-drifted snow, making it even more dangerous on slopes steeper than 30 degrees (and there are plenty of faces that are steeper in that region). The Apennines (Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna) are a good alternative. Resorts like Abetone and Cimone will definitely give you plenty of options for a couple of days.

A temporary rise in temperature and a lot of fresh snow (PA #18)

The Arctic Outbreak will retreat between Thursday and Saturday. This gives storm Sabine the chance to push the humid air into the Po-valley through the Adriatic Sea. Cold air will arrive in the Alps from the Balkans and Romania. This will mix with the moist air from the Mediterranean Sea and it will be ON. The slightly warmer air creates a lot of moisture and a lot of snow. You can expect 50-100 cm of fresh snow between Thursday and Sunday (locally even more). The focus will be on the Piedmont, but the southeast of Trentino will also get its share. The temperature will rise temporarily on Saturday (even with a light Föhn wind) on the northern side of the main alpine ridge. You can expect snowfall on the southern side of the main alpine ridge. Once that snow came down, it will get cold. Really cold. And it will get even colder on Monday and Tuesday, especially in the eastern Alps.

PowderAlert #18 is for the Piedmont, Trentino and the Apennines

PowderAlert #18 is in effect from Saturday with locally a lot of snow for the Piedmont, Trentino and the Apennines. The temperaturw will rise on Saturday, but will drop again on Sunday. And what is better than a storm that ends with cold smoke blower? You can expect magical conditions in the larch forests. Let the snow cover grow a bit first, because it has not snowed here for a while. But once the snow is there…

Arctic Outbreak

It will get really cold in the Alps from Sunday to Wednesday. You might expect a new storm for the southwest of the Alps after Wednesday. Until that time: wear an extra layer and enjoy the conditions!

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! And… it’s getting cold in the Alps, so don’t forget to order your wePowder beanie!

Stay stoked.
Morris