Europe Daily Snow
By Luke Stone, Forecaster Posted 1 year ago December 7, 2023
A Few Moderate Storms, Bigger Storm Possible Next Week
Summary
The active pattern continues this week, with a few moderate storms. A bigger storm is possible starting this weekend but there's still some question about just how far this storm tracks. Another storm is showng up on the models for the middle of next week, as this early season barrage continues.
Short Term Forecast
I hope most of you, in the Alps, are enjoying this small break. I know the Austrian Alps continued seeing snow showers yesterday, but today (Thursday), should be dry in the eastern Alps. The rest of the Alps should stay dry for one more day as well, with the next storm expected to start early Friday morning. We have several storms lined up, with the following approximate timelines:
- Friday to Saturday AM
- Saturday PM to Sunday PM
- Sunday PM to Tuesday PM
- Tuesday PM to Thursday PM
With all these potential storms over the next ten days, I will focus on the first storm and provide a brief synopsis on the others.
So, our next storm will bring snow back starting early Friday morning. As mentioned in the previous forecasts, this upper-level low will split and send the main system south of the Alps through Spain and into the Mediterranean. This will lead to mainly southwest and south winds with the primary impacts over the western Alps. This storm will feature snow levels in the 1200 - 1300 m range, so the snow quality won't be as light as recent storms.
The southern French will benefit most from these winds, and that's where the deepest snow should be. The southern Italian Alps, which havent seen much snow this season, should wind up with decent totals also. In addition, the northern part of the splitting storm will bring some decent totals to the Austrian Alps as well. The Pyrenees will be in the path of this southerly wave as well, and a decent period of northwest winds will bring snow back to these mountains too.
As far as totals go, this isn't a huge storm, with generally 15 - 30 cms for the western French Alps and Pyrenees. Expect 5 - 15 cms across most of the Swiss and Austrian Alps. Check out the snow forecast from the European model below.
As has been the case for about a month now, we won't have much of a break before the next storm arrives on Saturday night. This storm will come from the north and then drop down over the central Alps, bringing a solid thump of snow to the northern Check out the upper-level pattern for the storm track below.
Alps including France, Switzerland and Austria. This is looking like a 12 - 25 cm event for most of the northern Alps with perhaps a bit more in Switzerland. Early guess at snowfall totals from the European model below.
A stronger and longer lasting time is possible from Sunday night through Tuesday, likely favoring the same areas as the previous storm, mainly all of the northern Alps.
Extended Forecast
The next storm after that comes right on the heels of the previous one, with another splitting storm possible. Overall this northerly storm track doesn't bring the coldest storms, and the latest guidance shows that snow levels will be a concern for the second and third stoms.
Thanks for reading the Europe Daily Snow!
Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow
Announcements
Create Custom Snow Alerts
Stay up-to-date and never miss another powder day with custom snow report and forecast alerts for your favorite ski resorts.
- Go to any ski resort screen.
- Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right.
- Tap "Add Alert".
- Set your 24-hour snow report and/or forecast threshold.
You can also go to Settings > Notifications > Report & Forecast Alerts in the OpenSnow app to edit any snow alert that you have already created.
Get Started → Add Snow Alerts
About Our Forecaster
