The next storm will feature a lot of moisture, which is being delivered by an atmospheric river originating in the tropical Atlantic. In the image below, you can see the conveyor belt of moisture stretching across the Atlantic and into Europe.

As is often the case with storms featuring atmospheric rivers, there is anomalously warm air as well. Considering this moisture is being transported from the tropics to the mid latitudes by a strong low pressure system, this is not surprising. The end result will be a large amount of dense snow at upper elevations. Read on for the details.

Forecast for Thursday 12/22 - Saturday 12/24

Light snow will pick up in the afternoon hours on Thursday. The intensity should increase after 10 pm, and moderate to heavy snow will be possible until midday Saturday. A lot of moisture will fall from this storm, as seen below.

This storm packs more punch than most of the previous storms this season. However, as mentioned, snow levels will be high, ranging from 1900 - 2200 m in the French Alps, 1500 - 1900 m in the Swiss Alps, and around 1400 - 1600 m as you head east into Austria. Overall, snow levels will be gradually lower the farther east you go in the Alps. On Saturday you can see the temperatures at 3000m getting close to above 0C in the French Alps, while the rest of the range stays a bit cooler. 

So we will have a lot of high density snow accumulating at upper elevations across the Alps, but sadly there will be a lot of clear stuff falling down low.  The upper elevations of the higher elevation resorts in the French and Swiss Alps will do best. Chamonix, Val Thorens, Verbier, and Andermatt are a few examples where the snow will still be deep despite the warmth. These areas could see between 70 - 100 cms at upper elevations. Higher elevations resorts along the Italy/France and Italy/Switzerland border will get the most snow out of this event. Below is the snow forecast from the European model.

Forecast for Sunday 12/25 - Monday 12/26

Things will quiet down for a few days following the storm, with continued warm weather. The break will be short lived though, as another small storm approaches Monday night. 

Forecast for Tuesday 12/27 -  Wednesday 12/28

On Monday night or early Tuesday a strong cold front will make its way toward the Alps. This will briefly bring temperatures back to normal or even slightly below normal for this time of year. Along with this front there will be some precipitation too. This won't be a huge event, but expect a little refresh with 8 - 15 cms across the central and eastern Alps. 

Outlook for Thursday 12/29 - Monday 1/2

The first few days of this period look quiet, but by the new year there may be a return to stormy weather. Both the European and American long range models show an upper level pattern that could generate storms, however the exact location of the key upper level feature is uncertain. One long range model has this farther southeast, which would bring in storms more quickly. The other model has the upper level feature farther west, keeping storms away for a few more days. The black lines in the upper level patterns below indicate that key difference. Hopefully this gets sorted out in the next few days.

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