Skip to content

Cookies 🍪

This site uses cookies that need consent.

Learn more

Zur Powderguide-Startseite Zur Powderguide-Startseite
PowderAlerts

PowderAlert 10 2018/19 | One for all!

Thanks to an unusual weather situation, it's snowing all over the Alps

by Lars Oelmann 01/31/2019
Ullr has ordered a strange weather situation: Once for all powder and in the southeast also with sharp in terms of volumes. Unfortunately, there isn't cold powder for everyone, as Ullr is busy spreading the low over the whole of the Alps. And since air mass opposites, roughly simplified, are responsible for our lows, there has to be warm air on one side.

So it's snowing everywhere, but otherwise everything is complicated with this alert: There are major uncertainties in terms of amounts and snowfall line, as the development is quite complex with the low moving over the Alps.

Alert period and areas

Alps. So ultimately everywhere, although somewhere towards the north-eastern Alps from the Salzburger Land to the Rax as well as in the eastern Aosta Valley and western Piedmont may not reach alert levels.

The alert is valid until Monday morning and it starts to snow at different times. While the south and the Maritime Alps are already getting snow tonight, it will last until Saturday afternoon in the northern Alps.

Wind

The wind is generally rather restrained in the western Alps and in the low, which is quite large, but in the eastern Alps, where it is more congested and the current is stronger, it can also become stormy. In general, it's also quite stormy in the north before the snowfall thanks to the Föhn, which of course doesn't make the base any better before the fresh snow. It tends to be more suitable for powder in the south-western congestion and later in the north than in the south-east.

It tends to push into the inner Alpine areas in the south-west of France and in the Hohe Tauern in the south-east.

Snow line

First below 1000m in the south, also below 600m in the west of the southern congestion, then rising to 1700-1800m in the southeast. In the north it is only warm before the snowfall and it stays below 1000m and Sunday it goes all the way down.

In the west and southwest it can rain briefly up to 1200 or 1400m, then drop quite far down again - to 800m or lower. In the inner Alps and in the traffic jams, however, it can snow below 1000m all the time. As you can see, it's quite complicated.

The amounts

It's enough to sound the alarm almost everywhere. The southwest of France and the Maritime Alps and from eastern Ticino eastwards in the southern Alps are getting the most, with the tri-border region of Italy-Austria-Slovenia receiving special attention from Ullr. There, 100-150cm are widespread and some models do not rule out 2m in the Julian Alps.

In the Maritime Alps, in the southwest of France to the Hautes Alpes and from eastern Ticino eastwards to the sweet spot, 60-100cm, depending on the local orography and strength of the low.

In the north of France and in the westernmost part of the Valais and in the Vaud Alps, 40-60cm will fall.

In northern Switzerland and from the Bernese Oberland to Tyrol, around 25-50cm will fall. However, as it is cold and accumulating here, it could deviate positively in the foothills of the Alps and in the northern congestion and be more upwards than downwards.

In the north-east and from Aosta to western Piedmont, which is further east of the main ridge, it will probably not be enough to raise the alarm.

Where should I go?

Phew. No idea. I can only tell you that there's not much of a base in the south and southwest, so you should be careful with the trees there until Sunday.

In the (north)west, nothing should get in the way of the trees on Friday and Saturday, but you have to go all the way to the west to really get powder. But there's a powdery base underneath from the last few days.

Nothing will happen in the north before Sunday and it'll be too warm in the south-east to have any real fun.

On Monday, it's going to open up everywhere.

The Oracle doesn't have an optimal plan for the weekend yet either and feels somehow overwhelmed. It's one of those weekends where you have to play poker, but thanks to Instagram you can almost only lose, because someone will hit the sweet spot by chance and you won't.

Medium-term

No new snowfall in the foreseeable future, but it will stay cold so that you can plan some nice tours when the avalanche situation calms down.

Powder to the people!

Your oracle

This article has been automatically translated by DeepL with subsequent editing. If you notice any spelling or grammatical errors or if the translation has lost its meaning, please write an e-mail to the editors.

Show original (German)

Related articles

Comments