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PowderAlert 1 2017/18 | A first sign of life from Ullr

The südstau has set in and so has the internet hype.

by Lars Oelmann 11/04/2017
When snow forecast cards appear in the Facebook feed, then and only then is it officially winter. The Oracle, always waiting in the Ullr shrine, is of course also informed and is delighted that Ullr is sending out his first sign of life and returning to his kingdom. I would like to share this happy news with you.

One thing first: This alarm is not enough for skiing, but it should at least provide a base in the south. There will also be some snow in the north of Switzerland, where the snow will fall on a more or less good layer of old snow above 2500m. We have to hope that another old snow problem doesn't develop. More than 30cm is also falling in France. Elsewhere, a few flakes will also fall here and there, but it will probably remain below the alert amounts.

Alert areas: France, southern Alps and northern Switzerland

The snow line

Yes nu. This is one of the main problems, because a large part of the precipitation in the south falls above 2000m (in the southeast it tends to fall at 2500m). Thanks to Ullr's marching orders, the cold air from northern Switzerland and France will then move rapidly southwards and the snow line will drop to 1000m or even lower in the north. In the south, it will probably remain a few hundred meters higher. In addition, with the wind shift to the north, the snowfall will also stop there.

The full amounts apply in the southwest from 2200m, in the southeast from 2500m. In the north, I would say 1500m, as it is still snowing quite a lot in the cold air.

The amounts

In France and northern Switzerland, 25-50 cm of snow could fall. In backwater areas in France or the Italian Maritime Alps, possibly even 60cm, although I think this is more of a model overestimate. In the rest of the northern Alps, anything between 5 and 30 cm is possible.

In the south, there will be significantly more and 60-80 cm will fall over large areas from Monte Rosa to Slovenia. In the backwater areas in the east from the Dolomites to Slovenia, it may even reach the magic meter. As I said, however, only very high up. The whole thing will continue to the main ridge and will also bring a good 2/3 of the accumulation there.

Where should I go?

Apart from PowderGuide.com and the conditions reports, it's not really worth going to the Alps. Locals can check out their glaciers on Tuesday and make the untracked slopes unsafe. Everything else is #instagramconditions.

The outlook from Tuesday

Uncertain. Possibly more Mediterranean low pressure in the south and then a trough from the north later on towards the weekend? Overall, however, it looks cool and damp. A complete contrast to the last few years! The WeatherBlog and hopefully yours truly will keep you up to date.

And it feels good to say it again:

Powder to the people!

Your Oracle

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