PowderAlarm

As WeatherBlog 21 already indicated, and as two PowderAlerts within the last week as well as many highly starry ConditionsReports prove, early spring has once again covered the north side of the Alps in white gold. Although the gold price has fallen considerably since mid-March. We dare to doubt whether there is a negative correlation here. What these two northern storms certainly correlate with, however, is the weakening of the jet stream - more on this in the special topic.

The winter has been contradictory so far: "We" in the north have been waiting for what feels like ages for a solid base, which is now finally on the horizon. In contrast, real amounts of snow have already fallen in the southern regions of the Alps. Time for a quick look behind the scenes at PowderGuide. How have the reach, usage and community developed since the start of the season? What factors are driving traffic and what can you, as our readers, look forward to in the coming months?

At the beginning of the year, it's not just world events that are coming thick and fast, but also the weather. Winter has finally descended on Europe, is currently spreading deep into the Balkans and the next trough promises to bring large amounts of fresh snow to the northern slopes of the Alps as early as today. High pressure is prevailing over Greenland, however, and temperatures are very high. We therefore turn our attention last to the special role that Greenland and its ice sheet play in the global climate.

There is one thing you can take away from last winter: It can only get better. In terms of the amount of snow, the winter was weak and had long enough dry spells between new snowfalls. This winter got off to a better start. The first PowderAlert came unexpectedly early, and the first ConditionsReports have already arrived and look promising. Let's keep our fingers crossed for Ullr that it will once again cover the mountains properly. Of course, the snow depth prediction game is back - this time in the 10th anniversary edition or tradition!

Little snow, difficult conditions and an early spring have made tour planning and the search for powder anything but easy. But it is precisely at times like these that the true character of winter sports enthusiasts is revealed. PowderGuide didn't let this rather below-average winter get in the way of the often poor snow conditions and can look back on a successful season.

After the international kick-off, the SnowChase returns to Europe. The Alps reported their tenth PowderAlert at the beginning of the week - now it's Northern Norway's turn in the middle of the week. It's getting white around Narvik.

Both the participants of the PowderGuide final meeting in Engelberg and Mose in the border triangle fully enjoyed the last snowfalls. Elsewhere, unfortunately, there was also slow glop paired with dangerous avalanche conditions. An intermediate high is currently giving us spring fever again, but will be replaced by a southerly flow with lots of precipitation at the weekend. We hope this will bring another PowderAlert, although the state of the precipitation seems to be more liquid than fluffy.

This Chinese curse (all Sinologists roll their eyes because the oracle is giving out dangerous half-knowledge) describes our coming days quite well. But the oracle wants - no, has to - write something now, even if a lot is still unclear for Friday/Saturday, because it's snowing. And it's actually snowing right through to Saturday with short breaks.

The time has come. The Oracle says "all systems go", squeezes into the skintight clothing of an attractive pit crew member, as found in motor racing, and waves the green flag, officially heralding the start of the Christmas race.

It's finally that time again. Christmas time, PowderAlert time. And not just one but two holidays are coming up, because Ullr has finally woken up from hibernation. At the beginning of December, it looked like there would be a real second PowderAlert, but two days before the Alert was due to take place, it was swiftly cancelled and instead of the expected 70-100cm, we got 20-30cm. The oracle was quite surprised at the accuracy of today's crystal ball. That's why PowderAlerts always come just before the snowfall, because nothing is worse than snow that doesn't fall but has been hyped up in advance. Now the time has come, because first there will be a little warm-up until Friday evening and then the second Alert will come on Saturday with a really big bag of fresh snow, then also in the EAST!

The dry autumn with late summer flair in the golden larch forests and south-facing rock faces is coming to an end, and Ullr is sending us winter greetings for the second time. During the first greeting in mid-September, the first turns were already enjoyed, but the snow did not last. This second greeting hopefully heralds the start of winter, and we can start the PowderAlert series with snow height betting games as usual and bet on a strong winter.

A low pressure system from the Arctic hits the north coast of Germany, bringing gales, rain, thunder and lightning, but also snow and cold. The flow remains north-westerly and leads cold, moist air to the northern alps. With this first, cautious call of a winter onset, the PG WeatherBlog starts its weekly work. We are looking forward to put a snowy winter into words and graphics for you.