Saharastaub

Both Météo-Chamonix and Meteoswiss were forecasting the best weather, so we set off for the south-east side of the Mont Blanc Massif in Val Ferret. From there, we planned to cross Mont Dolent in a two-day tour. The temperatures were mild and we imagined enjoying the descent down the south side in the soft slush. Spring conditions in March - actually too early for this time of year and especially for this altitude.

Today I'm showing you the relevant layers for us before and after the snowfall at the beginning of March using several profiles. It's expected to snow heavily again in the northern Alps next week - so it's all the more important to know what's underneath the fresh snow!

The current omega situation will continue to bring us warm temperatures and sunshine. On Friday, there is a chance of change in the form of more clouds and perhaps even some (light) precipitation in the north, then mostly sunny but slightly cooler again at the weekend. There is currently no sign of winter.

After the interesting contrast of Sahara feeling in the Alps and snow chaos in the northern German lowlands, the cold is now making its way south. The coming weekend will be very cold with lots of sunshine. There will still be a little snow here and there today and tomorrow, but the coming cold phase will be mostly dry.

With yesterday's cold front, winter has returned, at least at higher altitudes, and the Sahara-dusty Föhn period has come to an end. Today's Saturday will start relatively friendly but cool, at least in the east, and the next front will approach from the northwest towards the evening, bringing the next wave of precipitation on Sunday night.

It's not often that international weather reports dominate the evening news. If it does, there is usually not much else happening, or the weather has a massive impact on many people's everyday lives, for example in the form of extreme temperatures, as recently seen in the eastern USA and Australia, or masses of snow, as is currently the case in the Western Alps.

For the coming weekend, there are warnings of a Föhn storm on the main Alpine ridge and the areas north of it - including Saharan dust. Almost every skier is familiar with foehn or foehn-like effects on the mountain. Especially those who like to stay in areas on the main Alpine ridge. But what does the downdraft do to the snow cover?

The last few days have been rather frustrating in terms of skiing in large parts of the Alps. T-shirt temperatures in the valleys and T-shirt removal temperatures at many climbing crags, rapidly dwindling snow and increasingly brownish remnants of pistes have reduced the motivation for ski touring. Why is it not really freezing at night, even though the weather is somehow "nice"? Is it going to get cold again and what's next?

The next few days will bring changeable, mild, often foehn-like weather in the north. In the south, it will be cloudy and wet, possibly with late base-building for the alpine touring season. Also: On the occasion of World Weather Day, the WMO warns us to face the challenges of the future.

The WeatherBlog was written a little earlier than usual due to vacation plans and appears here with a time delay, so we tend to deal with less current things. From today's perspective (Monday), the weather is looking increasingly April-like in the near future, with slightly lower temperatures (as would be expected in April) and occasional, sometimes heavier, thundery precipitation. Note: The thunderstorm season is open!

It is and remains omega-like spring. There is still powder, but it can only be found by searching and luck, as the wind and sun have been hard at work.

From a meteorological point of view, spring begins at the beginning of March, which we, as well as various weather services, take as an opportunity to look at a few key statistical data. Otherwise: A greeting from the desert turns the snow yellow.