Nov 28, 2023 at 6:40 PM Update: 24 minutes ago
It snowed heavily again in the Alps on Tuesday. Due to the snowfall in recent days, there is already almost 1.5 meters of snow in many ski areas. In many places, so much snow has not fallen so early since 2005.
Since Friday, almost the entire Alpine region has been experiencing cold air flowing from Scandinavia towards the Alps. “There is a large low-pressure area above Scandinavia, while there is a high-pressure area at sea,” says a spokesperson for Weerplaza. “That high-pressure area blocks warmer air from the ocean. In between we see a kind of slide that sends cold and moist air towards the Alps.”
This airflow has caused a lot of snowfall in recent days, especially on the north side of the Alps. At least 25 centimeters of snow has fallen almost everywhere, with peaks of 70 centimeters or even one meter locally.
This mainly happened in the higher parts of Switzerland and on the peaks in the Austrian states of Vorarlberg and Tyrol. Because snow fell earlier in November, there is already almost 2 meters of snow in some areas.
“In Vorarlberg there was rarely so much snow so early,” the spokesperson continues. “And in general terms you can say that in terms of snowfall there has not been such a good start to the season for the ski areas in the Alps since 2005. Large parts of Germany are also white and even the Winterberg ski area has received a good portion of snow.”
The German Ore Mountains are white for this time of year. Photo: Getty Images
Italian Dolomites get little snow
The heavy snowfall forms a stark contrast with the situation in January. At the beginning of this year, there was about two-thirds less snow in the Alps than the average over the past ten years, Professor Walter Immerzeel of Utrecht University told NU.nl.
Even now there is not a cheering atmosphere everywhere. Significantly less snow has fallen on the south side of the Alps. The Italian Dolomites also fare poorly. Only a small layer of a few centimeters fell there. “The cold air has difficulty getting over the Alps,” says Weerplaza.
Rainy on Thursday
The Alps will experience slightly milder air on Thursday. As a result, it may rain in parts of France and Switzerland below 1,500 meters. But that warmer period is short-lived, says Weerplaza. It’s cold again on Friday.
In the Netherlands, showers with snow may fall far inland on Tuesday evening. According to Weerplaza, it is not inconceivable that a layer of snow may remain on the ground for a short time on the Veluwe and in parts of Overijssel.
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The first layer of snow remains in the eastern Netherlands
2023-11-28 17:40:00
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