The upper level pattern I mentioned in my last forecast remains the same, as two low pressure systems will combine east of Spain. Before these two storms combine though, they will each deliver some solid snow totals to the Austrian Alps and Pyrenees. After merging, the storm will bring heavy snow to the western Italian Alps and even more to the Pyrenees. Check out the upper level pattern in the GIF below, showing the two systems initially tracking through Europe, joining together, and then lingering near Spain.

Forecast for Friday 2/24 - Tuesday 2/28

The first part of the aforementioned upper level pattern evolution is the northern storm swinging through Austria. From Friday night through Sunday evening, the Austrian Alps will see moderate to heavy now. Saturday will be a nice powder day for the northern side of the Austrian Alps, with 10-20 cms by the time lifts start spinning. Snow will continue through the day and into Sunday afternoon, with total accumulations around of 20-40 cms, deepest in the Salzburg/Voralberg regions. Isolated amounts of 50 cms are possible as well. Temperatures start out a bit warm, but a sharp cold front arrives Saturday morning. This should result in some nice right side up snow for Saturday and Sunday. Winds don't look too bad either. Check out the European model snowfall forecast for the first phase of this storm.

While the northern storm brings snow to the Austrian Alps, the southern storm will be delivering snow to the Pyrenees, beginning Saturday afternoon and continuing through Sunday evening. Temperatures will be a little warmer in this region, so the snow will be a but more dense. Still, 10-20 cms are likely during this time.  Check out the European model snowfall forecast for the second phase of this storm in the Pyrenees.

At this point, the two storms in the upper levels begin to merge, strengthen, and bring more snow to the region. The location of the newly formed area of low pressure will produce east/southeast winds, which are favorable for the east facing part of the western Italian Alps. In the image below, you can see east and northeast winds for the Italian Alps.

As a result, the heaviest snow totals will be in that area, with the snow kicking off Sunday morning once those winds shift to the east. Snow will continue through Monday afternoon in the Italian Alps, with 20-40 cms expected. Winds will gradually turn to the northeast for this area as well, allowing the heaviest snow to fall in the Cuneo region of the Italian Alps, which faces north. Check out the European model snowfall forecast for the third phase of this storm in the Italian Alps.

As the storm tracks southwest, snow will resume in the Pyrenees on Sunday night and continue through Monday night, bringing an additional 10-20 cms. Check out the European model snowfall forecast for the fourth phase of this storm in the Pyrenees.

Forecast for Wednesday 3/1 - Sun 3/5

I am not seeing too much activity during this period. There are a few chances for light snow in the western Alps around 3/2 and the central Alps around 3/4, but neither look major at this time. Let's hope these storms trend stronger between now and then.

Outlook for Mon 3/6 - Fri 3/10

As I mentioned last forecast, the end of the first week of March is looking active. The long range models are showing a large an strong upper level storm centered over Finland/Western Russia, shown below. This has the potential to bring heavy snow to the eastern Alps, and possibly farther west depending on the exact location of the upper level low pressure system.  

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