WeatherBlog 17 2019/20 | Mild and changeable

Current situation and outlook

The frontal zone is currently quite far to the north and is not affecting us. Instead, the subtropical high pressure belt can extend its influence to the Alps undisturbed. This morning, the eastern Alps will still be cloudy and there will still be the odd shower, but it will clear up quickly from the west and it will be sunny in the west from early in the morning. Note the sharp rise in temperatures, which will also occur somewhat earlier in the west than in the east. It will also remain windy. The combination of fresh snow, rising temperatures and wind will increase the risk of avalanches.

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500hPa geopotential and ground pressure, Wednesday 11.3.: Strong westerly flow, increasing high pressure influence.

meteociel.fr

Tomorrow, Thursday will also be mainly sunny, very warm and windy throughout the Alps, especially in the north. In the afternoon, some clouds will approach again from the north and northwest. On Friday, the associated cold front will dominate the weather more or less everywhere. It will move more or less lengthwise across the Alpine arc, bringing cooler (not really cold) temperatures and some precipitation, although conditions will remain fairly stormy. On the southern slopes of the Alps, the weather will remain more relaxed, but a little snow or rain could also arrive, especially in the southeast.

The further development is still rather uncertain. On Saturday, the front will continue to move slowly, but will take a while to get going and will initially cloud things up a little in the north with clouds and decreasing precipitation. At the same time, the current over the Atlantic will become increasingly wavy and a low pressure system with a core over the British Isles will develop, reaching far to the south. In front of this low (= east of the low = Alps), the current will become increasingly southerly the further south the low can penetrate. As a result, it may become much more unsettled in the south on Saturday and slightly foehn-like in the north. From today's perspective, Sunday will then be largely sunny again.

Fresh snow and sun last Saturday. — Fresh snow and sunshine last Saturday
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LH

Snow depths at the start of spring

Due to the not very cold, but still wet weather, snow depths at high altitudes have approached an average level across a relatively wide area, or are even slightly above average in some places. At lower altitudes, on the other hand, the very warm winter is reflected in snow depths that are usually well below average. The "not so little precipitation, but too warm" phenomenon can be seen particularly clearly when comparing neighboring stations at different altitudes, see for example Hahnenkamm and Reutte in the gallery below. At stations in the south, such as Obertilliach in East Tyrol, you can clearly see how the extreme snowfall in November "saved" the snow depth statistics. So: For spring tours, it's best to head up high.