Some resourceful students with too much time on their hands and online access to a precipitation radar may have already noticed: it's snowing again. (Everyone else can't use it anyway). They were also surprised to find out: It's snowing, but not in the north for once.
The new week means the first snow in a long time for the languishing southern side of the Alps. It won't be the incredible amounts we're used to on the northern slopes, but 30-50 cm could accumulate in some regions over the next 48 hours. The snow line will drop from an initial 1500 m to 500-700 m.
Some snow may also accumulate in France and on the main Alpine ridge, but the amounts are likely to be much smaller at 15-30 cm. The problem with the track of the low is, however, that there is no real südstau or a specific preferred direction and it is more likely to linger around the Alps, so that the amounts can fluctuate greatly. In general, the areas of the eastern Aosta Valley, Ticino and parts of Italy southeast of Graubünden as far as Carinthia should get the most. It is not possible to say exactly where, but it is probably worth keeping an eye on the measuring stations in these regions.
I don't actually see more than 50 cm of fresh snow, but as it's snowing until Tuesday morning, we'll have to see how intense the low is and where Ullr might send the biggest amounts and whether it might not reach 60 cm.
In the medium term, we've probably annoyed Ullr, because a really exciting, sustainable snow situation is unfortunately not imminent in the foreseeable future.
Build your Ullr shrines, sacrifice and hope that winter hasn't already shot all its powder (in the truest sense of the word).
Praise Ullr!
Text: Lars Oelmann