First dry and mild, cold front on Wednesday

First dry and mild, cold front on Wednesday
The first powder turns on the slopes of Obertauern (foto-webcam.eu)
The first powder turns on the slopes of Obertauern (foto-webcam.eu)

Above approximately 2000 meters, winter has finally returned. Late last week, some 10 to 30 centimetres fell across the Alps above 2000 - 2500 metres, with up to 50 centimetres of snow in the Tauern. However, the sun returned over the weekend. With high-pressure influence, it will remain mostly dry and mild this week, but a cold front will bring some snow from the west on Wednesday.

First powder turns

In the higher areas like Obertauern, it was just enough for a first piste tour last Sunday. Meanwhile, thanks to a mild south-westerly flow, temperatures are rising again across the Alps. The freezing level is rising again and will reach 3000 meters and even higher today. Tomorrow will still be mild. Higher up, the wind picks up and it becomes föhny on the northern side of the Alps. Sunshine will be a bit limited due to the passing high clouds.

Andermatt - Gemsstock is still waiting for its season opening (roundshot.com)
Cold front from the west on Wednesday (wetter3.de, DWD)

Wednesday some snow from the west

A depression with a front follows from the west on Wednesday, which will bring some precipitation. In Austria, the föhn will continue until (late) afternoon, but during the morning it will already start snowing in the northwestern Alps. Here, around 10 to 20 centimetres of snow above 2000 to 2200 metres is likely. Further east and south, the amounts will decrease. The precipitation will not reach the Eastern Alps until the night into Thursday and it will keep snowing until Thursday morning. The snowline here drops to around 1,600 to 1,800 metres.

The cold front will bring some snow above 2000 metres, but it won't be much
The jet stream makes a large curve around the Alps (meteociel.fr)

Returning high pressure

Soon after the front clears again due to increasing high-pressure influence. The core of the high pressure will move over the Alps in the following days. With the exception of low-level clouds in many valleys, it will be sunny again. Temperatures will also pick up again. Precipitation doesn’t seem possible due to the deflecting jet stream and blocking high pressure area, or does it?

A cold air bubble moves south and possibly reaches Piedmont over the weekend (wxcharts.com)
A cold air bubble moves south and possibly reaches Piedmont over the weekend (wxcharts.com)

Possible some snow in Piedmont

Some precipitation may follow from an unexpected angle. Although at the surface high pressure is already dominating again, there are some interesting developments for the end of the week. In the upper air layers we see a cold air bubble moving south towards the Balkans. Over the Po Valley, we may have to deal with an easterly flow that then hits the Alpine arc near Piedmont and could provide some snow over the weekend. In the process, winds may pick up considerably, especially in the Eastern Alps. However, small differences could still ensure it stays dry. More on this in a new weather report on Wednesday.

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Henri
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Replies

Tourist
bleddynwilliamsAuthor7 November 2022 · 20:34

Hi,

What do you make of the following Article on the guardian https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/nov/07/met-office-predicts-severe-flooding-across-england-in-february , is this going to mean a dry first part of the winter again in the Alps,
if the High Pressure sits and does not move a lot of the time?

Thanks Bleddyn

Bleddyn
Reply
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