Getting the Jitters!!!

This Autumn has been much warmer than usual with very little precipitation. It was 0*C at 3000m and 4*C at 2000m today. These readings are from a weather station at 1400m in the Lötschental (Fr 18 - Do 24 is the forecast).


The area of high pressure over Eastern Europe doesn't look like going to go away any time soon. The weather here is forecast to be mainly sunny until next Thursday and the Austrians don't expect any snow before the beginning of December.

As the weather has been so mild snow making has only just started, but it isn't very efficient at these marginal temperatures and as you can see some machines are more efficient than others.

The people here are beginning to get concerned http://goo.gl/F7PN0 in spite of all this some places have snow. Cervinia is skiable down to Plan Maison, at Saas Fee the Morenia chair is opening on Saturday and Prali in Val Germanasca 70 km east of Turin http://www.nuova13laghi.com/joomla15/working.html has 130 – 150 cm and opens this weekend.

I'm seeing so many conflicting reports on the state of the weather over the Alps for the next 7 days. But one thing they all have in common is that the temperatures are forecast to barely reach freezing level next week, and Andy your completely right in regards to the the High pressure holding over the Alps. After studying pressure charts for Europe (when supposed to be doing work lol) the huge area of high pressure that has been holding strongly over the Alps for the last 10 days is forecast to weaken and replaced by a large area of low pressure coming in over the next week. Hopefully this low pressure system should yield some decent amounts of snow next week and also temperatures should return to the seasonal average after being so high for the last 10 days. But also on the whole France and Switzerland have had their driest period for 50 years. But the forecasts all point to one thing next week, low temperatures and snow! Let's keep the faith!

I want to see some white stuff !!
It cheers me up :mrgreen:
Even though I'm not going to get on the snow until March I like to see skiing happening.
So....
I am spending far too much time looking at webcams and forecasts and it is not doing me any good.
Very pleased to see a fall in temperature for next week, and some clear suggestions of precipitation for France, Italy and Western Switzerland. But not much sign for Austria sadly.
But ...
Horrified to see a suggestion that freeze/thaw will rise again at the end of next week !!
Wish I hadn't looked - message to self ....
Stop this, there will be white stuff soon.
:thumbup:

The high pressure area is still forecast to weaken. A cold front will arrive mid week, might not drop a lot of snow but at least it's a start.

Today

Tomorrow

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

some serious winds out there! ;)

We really don't want the sort of temperatures we had at the start of last season, so cold that the snow doesn't adhere to the ground surface. The snow pack was seriously unstable in mid Dec as two mates found out. Luckily they lived to tell the tale.

I use these people for UK forecasts - they have been far more accurate than BBC and others.
http://www.meteox.co.uk
The forecast covers Europe and was spot on for the bit of snow and heavy rain in ski resorts recently.
The forecast is under "Regenvorherage Europa" which is top right picture on their page at the moment (but has moved around over the months).
Or direct is here - http://www.meteox.co.uk/forecastloop.aspx?type=1#
This is what they suggest for next Tuesday - promising as orange is bit lots of rain/snow!

Like that site, not one I've seen before. Also very useful in predicting when and where the carp will feed!