We'll start with a bit more snow in the Pyrenees over the next few days, as the old pattern is still with us. Once the upper-level low over southwest Europe starts making its way east, a new pattern will finally take over. This pattern will feature at least one, but potentially several, stroms moving into the Alps from the north, finally putting the northern Alps in focus. It's still too early to say just how significant this cycle will be, but there certainly is potential. 

Before that happens, though, a bit more snow is expected over the Pyrenees over the next few days, with additional light snow in the southern Alps. Here's what the high-end snow totals look like during this time.

From Tuesday through Thursday, a weak system tracking northwest to southeast through central Europe will bring some lighter snow to the northern Alps, but accumulations should be minor. The storm that has my attention is expected later this week, around Friday night/Saturday morning. The models agree an upper-level low with a strong cold front will approach the Alps from the northwest, kicking off a period of snow that will continue through Sunday.

This storm looks fairly fast-moving, though. A quick 25 - 50 cm is possible with 30 - 60 cm in the jackpot zone. The northern Alps, from the northern French Alps through the Swiss and central Austrian Alps, would do best with winds out of the north/northwest.

Below is an early look at snow totals, just to give you an idea of the potential. 

What's even more interesting, though, is the potential pattern starting next week around Monday the 31st. Some of the models are showing the potential for a more prolonged snow event in the northern Alps, with a Nordstau set up over the eastern Alps. While the current forecast brings the majority of the snow to the Austrian Alps, I've certainly seen these longer-duration features shift significantly within this time frame. So, we could see a shift farther west, where more of the northern Alps would get slammed, or also an easterly shift, with the heaviest snow too far east. 

This is still a week away, so a lot can and will change, but it is definitely the most promising setup I've seen in the 7 to 10 day range in several months. Check out the upper-level pattern below.

Way out in fantasy land, the upper-level low is responsible for possible long-duration snow, even in the northern Alps, which may become cut off from the flow and stick around for several more days. At this point, much of the energy would be gone, but an additional round of light to moderate snow would be possible. This is just speculation, though, given that it's around 2 weeks from now. Stay tuned for more details about the upcoming pattern change.

My next post will be on Wednesday.

Thanks for reading the Europe Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow