Snow has been falling in the upper elevations of the Alps from France into Switzerland, with some significant accumulation over the last week. This theme will continue, especially over the next few days, and a few resorts are still open.

I will continue to provide intermittent updates for Europe through the end of the month, as long as the pattern remains active. After that, I will post a season recap.

A strong low-pressure system will descend from the north starting on Wednesday and park itself over southern Sweden on Thursday and Friday. It will feature a very cold airmass for this time of year, and the stalled location over southern Scandinavia should be close enough to filter some of this air into the central and eastern Alps. 

Snow levels are expected to drop as low as 1600 m in the Austrian Alps. Although the late April storm saw snow levels fall much lower than that, it was due to evaporational cooling that resulted from incredibly intense precipitation despite a much warmer air mass. This storm has the potential to deliver much better snow quality at upper elevations. 

Above 2700 m in the Austrian Alps, 25 to 50 cm is possible through Friday. The best places to ski and ride will be Molltaler Glacier and Hintertux, especially on Friday. Below is the latest snow forecast from the European model.

The early part of next week should be dry as a ridge moves through southern Europe. As early as Tuesday night, however, a low-pressure system will move over the British Isles, bringing additional chances for rain and high-elevation snow. This looks like a warmer and more showery type of pattern rather than heavy precipitation with snow up high. 

The active pattern that is expected to setup next week should linger through much of the following week. Eventually, the low-pressure system in northwestern Europe may send a separate wave into the Alps, which would be more likely to bring cooler air and snow. 

My next post will be on Friday or Saturday.

Thanks for reading the Europe Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow

Alps Regions:

NEW: Forecast Range Graphs

You can now view individual forecasts from global and regional high-resolution weather models in OpenSnow. This includes forecasts from the GFS, ECMWF, HRRR, and ICON models, as well as the OpenSnow blend.

The graphs give you a behind-the-scenes look at the forecast and make it easier to see if the forecast models are in tight agreement or if there is a wide range of potential outcomes over the next 10 days.

Note: This is currently only available in the OpenSnow iOS app and website (OpenSnow.com). Android will be available soon.

Getting Started

1. Go to any location screen.
2. Scroll down under "Weather" or "Snow Summary".
3. Tap "View Interactive Chart" in the app.
4. Adjust the model, timeframe, or data view.

Why is the Forecast Range helpful?

Understand if there is high or low confidence in the forecast. If all models show a similar forecast, there is higher confidence in the forecast, and vice versa.

Dig into the details. If you have experience looking at weather model data and trust certain models or higher-resolution models, you'll be able to isolate your favorite data.

View → Forecast Range Graphs