Bluebird Powder Christmas - what's next?

Last night, the final flakes fell in Austria. Today, we take stock with some snow depth data and beautiful images from the Alps. And of course, we are already looking forward to the next possible snowfall in the new year.

Finally a white Christmas down to the valleys

For a change this year, no Christmas thaw but beautiful white holidays in the Alps. As Henri wrote on Monday, the amount of snow in much of Austria was disappointing, and as expected, there was hardly any snowfall in the Southern Alps. Thus, the best freeride opportunities can still be found in Vorarlberg, Switzerland, and France.

The white Christmas is not limited to the Alps, as the Pyrenees, the Apennines, the Carpathians, and the Dinaric Alps are also covered in white. In the table below, which includes a selection of snow depths at various altitudes, I also include some higher mid-mountain ranges, which got remarkably lucky. Due to the wind, the thickness of the snow cover is very variable; there are areas where more snow is reported in the valley than on the mountain because the wind has blown everything bare. In any case, there is a good base in the Western and Northwestern Alps from 1000 to 1500 meters that will remain preserved for the time being.

Abruzzo village white-out (Central Italy):

Powder-dashing in Switzerland:

A selection of Christmas webcams (source: foto-webcam.eu):

High Pressure Dominant Until the New Year

Today, some clouds will brush along the northern edge of the Alps, but overall the weather will be sunny. In many inner Alpine areas it will remain below freezing all day, and tonight, under a clear sky, it will drop below -10 in many valleys. The calm weather is caused by a high-pressure area extending from the Azores to Moscow. As a result, depressions over the ocean remain at a distance.

Gradually Milder

From Thursday, the cold air will disappear from the upper atmosphere, and daytime temperatures will rise above freezing. Only above 2500 meters will it remain freezing. Because there is little wind and the humidity remains low, the snow cover will hold up reasonably well. Only on south-facing slopes will it become thinner and crustier (freeze-thaw cycle).

Possible precipitation and cool-down early January but much uncertainty

At the beginning of January, we see an interesting situation on the weather maps over the northern Atlantic Ocean. Cold air is flowing southward to the west of a high-pressure area near Greenland. The other high-pressure area, which has been providing so much sun over the Alps, will then be over the Mediterranean region and will counteract it. So, it remains to be seen whether the polar air will reach the Alps. If it does, it should happen around January 5th, which is beyond the forecast horizon. Of course, Henri and I will keep you updated on developments next week.

In the meantime, enjoy the fresh powder, or the beautiful images if you are not lucky enough to be in the mountains. Happy holidays and stay safe!