At this point, we want to take a leaf out of the ubiquitous annual reviews in 2011. As a skier, you usually think more in terms of winters and less in terms of calendar years, but if you sprinkle a few key statistical data into the weather talk with strangers in the lift, you come across as incredibly educated, which rarely hurts.
Too dry
Last November is probably still a painful memory for everyone. In Austria, it was the driest month since measurements began. With only 30% of the usual rainfall, February was also exceptionally dry. The longest dry period of the year was recorded in Innsbruck, where there was no precipitation from October 20 to December 2. Overall, 15% less precipitation fell in Austria in 2011 than the climatological average. It was also too dry in Switzerland.
Too warm
Lea HartlSliding snow avalanche in the North Tyrolean Oberland on 28.12.2012
At 1.6° above average, temperatures in the Austrian mountains have never been as high as in 2011 (since measurements began in 1851). It was also clearly too warm in the lowlands, where 2011 is the sixth warmest year on record. The situation is similar in the other Alpine regions: It was exceptionally warm at high altitudes in particular. Unsurprisingly, sunshine records were also broken in 2011. In Austria and Switzerland, only 2003 recorded more hours of sunshine. In the Austrian mountains, the sun shone for around 350 hours longer than usual on average.
(Source: ZAMG)
Current situation
Since the passage of a cold front on Christmas Eve, the weather has been fairly calm. Tuesday and Wednesday (today, 28.12.) were very sunny and very mild across the entire Alpine region. Thanks to a pronounced inversion, it was below freezing in many valley locations, while 5° degrees and more were reached at 2000 meters. On the sunny side, spring conditions now often prevail, including fish mouths and sliding snow avalanches. In the shade, however, the snow is often still very good.
Outlook
Lea HartlLorenzo Rieg
Today was the last bright sunny day of this sunny year. As Thursday progresses, it will become increasingly cloudy from west to east thanks to a cold front from a low over Scandinavia, it will snow lightly and become significantly colder. On Friday, it will snow more heavily, with the north-west favoured again. The warm front will follow on New Year's Eve, it will be windy and warmer again, but it may well snow heavily. It will be interesting to see whether the oracle will get back to us this year.
