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PowderAlerts

PowderAlert 23 2017/18 | Easter powder in the south

The current turns and it starts to snow in the south. And it really does.

by Lars Oelmann 03/29/2018
It's finally snowing in the south and then perhaps in the north again. Ullr gives its all again in the final retreat battles against spring and gives us an exciting Easter 2018.

Alert period and areas

This alert applies to the Southern Alps from Monte Rosa to Slovenia, while the Maritime Alps and south-west France just miss the alert. The core zones are in the Monte Rosa area and Upper Engadine in the west and in the border triangle of Italy, Austria and Slovenia in the east, whereby the amounts in the east are notoriously difficult to predict, as the models are even more confused than usual.

This alert is valid until Saturday evening and may change to a northern alert.

Wind

Strong, stronger, storm. It's blowing really hard in this südstau, so there's really only powder left in sheltered locations. The good thing is that in the west of the core zone up to the Gottahrd area, the Goms and parts of central Graubünden there will be almost full or even full amounts. It will also push up to the main ridge and in the core in the south-east it will probably push up to the Hohe Tauern.

Snow line

As always with südstau, the snow line is the crux of the matter. The general rule for the end of March is: surprisingly suitable for powder. And as always, this is especially true in the sheltered west of the alert area. Today the snowfall will start at 1500-1900m and the snow line will then gradually drop, especially in the west. In the east of the alert area, it may stay this high for longer.

The good news for the western core zone: with the intensification tomorrow evening, it will drop to 1200-1500m and then most of the precipitation will fall as powder until Saturday. In the core it may snow down to 1000m in the west. Especially in the Gotthard area and the areas of Switzerland on the main ridge, it will drop quickly and then change seamlessly into a northern bonus or even a new northern alert. The amounts are not yet clear.

The full amounts are generally only above 1600-2000m from west to east.

The amounts

It is enough for 30-40cm of fresh snow on the entire southern slope of the Alps. In the Maritime Alps and in southwest France probably not quite enough. From the 30-40cm, it will then quickly go up in the core zones. As the core areas are topographically quite small-scale, 20 km can make a difference.

In the western core zone, 40-70cm is widespread and from Ticino to the Simplon probably 60-90cm, although the meter can easily fall in a congested area.

In the core in the east, it can be even wilder, or even significantly less. In general, the models expect at least 60-80cm of fresh snow there (above 1800-2000m! Remember, it rains higher there). Some models also skip this and spit out up to double the amount, i.e. 110-160cm. As I've already experienced both, much more and less than expected, this winter, I have to decide who is right. Due to the large-scale flow, I say that there could well be a meter, but I am sceptical about the maximum assumption of 120cm.

Where should I go?

Tomorrow, Friday, don't really start yet, but if you're traveling anyway, maybe a tour in Ticino, Upper Engadine or Simplon in the afternoon in high trees beyond 1800m, because there may be 20-30cm there. In the east, Friday is probably not worth it.

On Saturday into the trees of the western core, then possibly also into a ski area, as most of it comes at night. This will be difficult in the east as it is still raining quite heavily.

Sunday it will probably break up in the south and you can carefully look for the full amounts at the top, while it continues to snow on the main ridge. Here you should probably be able to see the sun on Monday and you can go higher

Medium-term

Whether there will be a small, brief alarm for the north on Saturday and then another südstau on Tuesday (only with more warmth) and then it will get cooler from the west again, as it is now, is favored by the crystal ball, but still very uncertain. In general, however, Ullr is still fighting against summer and that's something.

Until then:

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.

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