Europe Daily Snow

Heads up, there may be fresher snow! Read the latest Europe Daily Snow

By Luke Stone, Forecaster Posted 2 years ago November 1, 2022

Record Heat Ends, Fresh Snow Follows

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Summary

Much of Europe has experienced a very warm October, with the apex of this heat wave occurring during the last few days of the month. Records were broken and sometimes shattered over a large portion of the continent, as seen in the gif below. This image shows the locations approaching or surpassing daily temperature records over the last week.

Short Term Forecast

Record heat ends, and some snow for the Alps and Pyrenees

While many have been enjoying the extended summer, readers of this post are likely wondering when these unusually warm temperatures will come to end. Well, the good news is that for a large area spreading from northwestern Spain through France, Italy, Switzerland, and parts of Germany and Austria, a cool down, at least temporarily, is on the way this week. There will be some snow too, along with the cool temperatures, especially in the Pyrenees and the Alps.

The heat will hold on through much of Europe through Wednesday before the cold and snow arrive on Thursday, from West to East. Northern Spain and France will start to cool off first, followed by  Italy, Switzerland, and parts of Germany and Austria. The snow will begin in the high elevations of the Pyrenees Thursday evening and spread to the Alps a few hours later. Snow levels will be near or just above the base elevations of the resorts in the both ranges, with the accumulations generally occurring above 2000m.

Forecast for 11/3 - 11/5
Moderate to heavy snow will be falling in the Pyrenees and Alps during this time period. Snow will begin in the evening on Thursday and won’t taper off in the Eastern Alps until midday Saturday. Overall this is a very moist system, but with only moderately cold temperatures, the extent of the snowfall will be somewhat limited. The highest elevations of the Alps could surpass 60cm, with lesser amounts lower down. Expected snowfall by elevation below:
  •  >3000m: ~30cm+ 
  • 2500-3000m: ~20-30cms
  • 2000-2500m: ~10-20cm
  • 1500-2000m: <10cms
  • <1500m: trace
Forecast for Sun 11/6 - Tue 11/8
After the storm clears out on Saturday, most of Southern Europe will clear out. There will be another system moving in from the northwest, but this will be mainly rain. Above normal temperature will return during this period for much of the area as well. 

Extended Forecast

Outlook for Wed 11/9 - Sun 11/13
In the longer term, the models are showing a return to high pressure (yellow, orange, and red colors), which means warm and dry once again. A large area of high pressure is centered over southern Sweden during this period. The majority of the region should see above normal temperatures during this time, and the chances for precipitation and snow are low. If you’re looking for fresh snow in the mountains, this is not the forecast you want to hear. This is almost two weeks from today though, so there is still time for this pattern to change, especially at the end of the period. 

Thanks so much for reading the first OpenSnow Europe forecast of the season. I will have an update on the weather in a few days. Follow me @lstone84 on Instagram for all of my chases this season.  

LUKE STONE

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About Our Forecaster

Luke Stone

Forecaster

Luke Stone earned his M.S. in Atmospheric Sciences from the University of Utah, with a research focus on seasonal forecasting. Luke has scored deep days around the world, including coast-to-coast across the United States, Canada, and Europe.

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