We’ve had an eventful week, with the Western Alps receiving a nice base layer of snow from around 2000 meters in France and from 1500 meters in Switzerland. The Austrian Vorarlberg and the Italian Aosta also benefitted from the west-stau situations, and on Friday, a large snow front moved over Switzerland, Baden-Württemberg, and southern Bavaria. The last flakes have fallen, and we can now take stock. This weekend marks the transition to mild weather, and we also look ahead to what the coming week has in store."
Current snow depths
Below is an overview of the current snow depths this morning. In the high mountains, these are currently quite variable due to the strong winds during the snowfall events. We see many bare peaks on the webcams, which undoubtedly means significant snowdrifts have formed lower down on the south and east sides.
France
In France, the snow line rose to nearly 2000 meters twice in the warm sectors, which is reflected in the snow cover:
Les Écrins (2870 m) - 85 cm
Grande Parei (2240 m) - 67 cm
Tignes (2084 m) - 61 cm
La Plagne (2120 m) - 53 cm
Val-d’Isère - Joseray (1850 m) - 32 cm
Flaine (1611 m) - 21 cm
Alpe-d’Huez (1860 m) - 21 cm
Le Tour (1500 m) - 21 cm
Isola 2000 (2000 m) - 20 cm
Italy - Aosta
Valtournenche-Grandes Murailles (2566 m) - 95 cm
Saint-Rhémy-en-Bosses-Gran San Bernardo (2360 m) - 79 cm
Pre-Saint-Didier-Plan-Praz (2044 m) - 73 cm
Switzerland
Hörnli (1144 m) - 132 cm
Glarnisch-Guppen (1632 m) - 115 cm
Finhaut-L’Ecreuleuse (2252 m) - 103 cm
Meiental-Laucheren (2220 m) - 88 cm
Austria
Galzig (2080 m) - 99 cm
Zugspitze (2956 m) - 57 cm
Laterns-Gapfohl (1559 m) - 57 cm
Warth (1475 m) - 51 cm
Seefeld (1182 m) - 22 cm
Rapid warming this weekend
On Saturday, a strong northwesterly wind will still noticable in Austria. Elsewhere in the Alps it is much calmer under the influence of a high-pressure ridge. On Sunday, we will be on the west side of the ridge, and a strong, mild southerly flow will develop. This will cause a rapid rise in temperature and further drifting of snow at high altitudes. On Saturday, it will initially be around freezing at 1500 meters, but on Sunday, temperatures will rise to between +5 and +15 degrees. The highest temperatures will be reached in the northern valleys that are sensitive to the föhn wind. It remains dry throughout the weekend and there will be regular clear spells. Apart from the strong wind on Sunday, it is good weather for outdoor activities, but be aware of the dangers. In various Swiss regions, avalanche level 3 is in effect, and in other Alpine countries, where no avalanche bulletins are published yet in November, avalanche risk is also present.
Still mild on Monday
Monday will also be very mild, although the wind will have decreased somewhat. We will start with sunshine in most places, but mist or low clouds may linger in the low valleys. In the Western Alps, it will become cloudy in the afternoon as a cold front approaches.
Cooldown on Tuesday with some snow in the Western Alps
During the night to Tuesday and throughout Tuesday, the cold front will move from west to east across the Alps. The Western Alps will receive most of the precipitation again, but it will not be a heavy dump. Weather models predict about 10 centimeters in the Northern French and Swiss Alps above approximately 1600 meters. Elsewhere, it will likely be a thin layer, and in the Southern and Eastern Alps, it may remain dry. However, it will cool down significantly everywhere, with the freezing level between 1400 and 1800 meters and frost at night down to the valleys."
More precipitation on Thursday and Friday
After a dry Wednesday, the weather will become more changeable again later in the week. Precipitation is expected on Thursday and Friday, and with normal temperatures for late November, this could result in fresh snow above 1500 meters. We are monitoring this situation and will update you in the new forecasts. The ensemble forecast for Innsbruck from the ECMWF weather model above shows the temperature dip with precipitation on Thursday. After that, it will become milder again.
