Alpen

Over the last few days, the much overused term "snow chaos" has been quite appropriate in large parts of the Alps. Now the snow-related state of emergency is easing and the cut-off valleys and villages are getting a weather window to dig themselves out in the sunshine.

OK, the Fenris wolf hasn't appeared in the maps yet, but what Ullr has planned for Monday looks slightly apocalyptic. 150cm and more have already fallen in the last two alarms. And Ullr thinks to himself: all good things come in threes, so he's going full throttle again at the end.

The OpenSlopeMap project, founded by skiing software developers Peter Schnappauf and Reini Riedl, offers freely accessible online slope maps for the Alpine region on a non-commercial basis. There are some interesting new features for the new season:

The past weekend up to and including Monday was characterized by sunshine and high fog throughout the Alps. We count Monday as a weekend because the WeatherBlog suspects that some people took Monday "Finally the conditions are right for that steep tour I've always wanted to do". And anyway, every beginning of the week is also the beginning of the previous weekend.

Let's get this out of the way: Yes, there will be a third alert for this storm sequence. For Part 1, I fled behind the main Alpine ridge because, as I wrote in the alert, it was supposed to push far over. It did, the rest of the storm behaved somewhat erratically due to the enormous high flow and apart from parts of the Valais, which get something with normal west or northwest winds, the larger amounts did not arrive in front of or behind the main ridge.

At least it looks as if things will continue to be lively after that, as the low pressure systems and their fronts will be in full swing in the brisk westerly flow. More on this in the paragraph on the medium term. It seems that there are only big snowfalls left this season and freeriders are happy to accept them, as they are good for building up the snowpack later and in the meantime you can finally have fun in the trees without a handbrake!

Today and tomorrow will be extremely turbulent in the Alps with gale-force winds and heavy precipitation in the west and north. Also changeable at the weekend, with the current turning to the south. Also: spectacular lake-effect snowfall over the holidays in the USA!

A pre-Christmas snow streak in the east at the end of the week is followed by a milder phase over the holidays. Plus: 2017 was pretty warm overall, little ice in the polar regions and continued trouble with the weather on the internet.

Now that the current winter has got off to a brilliant start, at least compared to previous years, and has already brought us snow right down to the valleys, Christmas may come as less of a surprise to some than when the tulips are blooming in the garden. Nevertheless, we would like to give you some inspiration for last-minute gifts. As usual, the PowderGuide editorial team presents its Christmas wishes and gift tips.

When the weather really gets going, meteorologists' hearts always beat a little faster. This week's WeatherBlog therefore includes a summary of the rather spectacular weather of the last few days and, of course, a brief outlook.

A normal, cool autumn, a new cold snap at the weekend, a new Italian low. When it's on, it's on, thinks winter and relies on tried and tested weather patterns.

The signs are still pointing to winter. A northerly current is carrying polar air masses towards the Alps. It's snowing and it's staying cold or getting colder, at least in Europe. If anyone is interested in the weather at the North Pole: it's getting warm there.