So it has been snowing quite a bit over the last several weeks in the Alps and somewhat in the Pyrenees too. Most of these storms have not been massive though, so base depths are still on the low side. Still, hundreds of resorts are open and there are plenty of places to ski and ride. A substantial number of additional resorts will open today and over the next week as well. 

Forecast for Saturday 12/17 - Tuesday 12/20

After some lingering snow showers wrap up in the eastern Alps this morning, the dry period will get started. Even though there's no snow expected for the next four days, unfortunately there won't be a ton of sunshine either. Below is the cloud cover forecast for the next four days. White colors mean it's cloudy, while black means it's clear. The next four days, despite having no snow, will be mostly cloudy. 

Temperatures during this period will be a bit above normal also. Below are the temperature anomalies during this time. 

In the upper parts of the atmosphere, you can see a strong ridge centered over the heart of southern Europe, blocking any storms from really impacting the mountains.

Forecast for Wednesday 12/21 - Friday 12/23

On Wednesday, our next storm approaches from the northwest. This system will track and remain north of the Alps, allowing for only a glancing blow. This storm will move from West to East, with little digging. You can see the storm track below.

Therefore, the northern part of the Alps will see the most action from this storm. This will be a minor event with 5 - 15 cms falling, with the heaviest amounts in the western Alps along the France/Italy and Switzerland/Italy borders. 

There's not much cold air with this system staying so far to the North, so snow levels will be a bit higher, around 1200-1500m. A final weak wave will move through on Friday as well, adding a bit more to the totals. Check out the snow forecast from the European model below.

Outlook for Saturday 12/24 - Wednesday 12/28

Once this small storm ends, the pattern looks calm and dry again. From December 24th to 28th, another ridge will move over the region, once again blocking storms, as seen below.

This ridge may be a bit farther south, but the result will be the same. Model agreement is fairly strong on this late month ridge, so I would not expect any big storms during this time. 

Thanks again for reading the forecast. Follow me @lstone84 on Instagram to track and chase storms all Winter long!