After a nice snow phase in the north-western Alps (PA#6), the calm is back in the form of high pressure. High pressure will continue to dominate the weather, but that doesn’t mean it won’t snow at all. Every now and then, including tomorrow night, the Northern Alps in particular will get some snow, but don’t expect large amounts.
Fine PA#6 with brilliant conditions today
Today was a brilliantly sunny day and PA#6 could be enjoyed to the full. In the north-western Alps, half a metre of snow fell on a large scale. I was on my way in Venet near Landeck and could still enjoy some 20 centimetres of fresh snow. On the southern faces, the solar energy input and the rising temperatures made the snow rapidly heavy, but on the northern slopes it remained beautiful powder until the end.
Tomorrow (Thursday) will be a lot less sunny. This night, high clouds will approach from the west, as the wind at high altitude turns to the west-southwest and brings in slightly cooler and more humid air. Lower down in the atmosphere it will still be mild with temperatures up to 5 degrees at 1500 metres on the northern side. In the course of the day, the clouds that move in become more dense, which is a harbinger for some fresh snow again.
Another cold front
Thursday to Friday another sharp cold front with snow in the Northern Alps. Initially, it will be just 5 to 15 centimetres of snow, with most of it between central Switzerland and Arlberg. Behind it, the high-pressure influence will soon increase again, but because of a northwesterly supply, it will probably remain unstable in the Northern Alps until Saturday. This snowfall is not going to bring a lot of snow. I expect another 5 to 10 centimetres of fresh snow on top of the cold front, but not much more.
Most of the fresh snow will be found in other parts of Europe. A developing low pressure area over the Mediterranean will bring a lot of snow in the Apennines and later on in South Eastern Europe. In the Alps, it will stay dry from Sunday on. Only Austria will have to deal with clouds and (light) snowfall for a while longer, probably without large accumulations. The next fresh snow only seems possible in the middle of next week, but even that snowfall is probably not going to be shocking. A more detailed weather report will follow on Friday.