WeatherBlog 13 2021/22 | Stormy times and a glimmer of hope

Current situation

A north-westerly flow is currently having a variety of weather effects. On the one hand, it is bringing light precipitation to the northern side of the Alps and, on the other, it is responsible for the formation of a leeward cyclone on the southern side of the Alps. This brings precipitation to large parts of the Mediterranean region, from Sicily to the Apennines to the Croatian Adriatic coast. It shifts from the Gulf of Genoa to the Adriatic, its fronts become occluded and the eastern southern side of the Alps is blessed with snow. Rumour has it that the Julian Alps could see half a meter of snow! In the footage you will find impressions from a webcam on the Zoncolan, famous for a mountain finish in the Giro d'Italia, as well as precipitation radar and a measuring station in Val Alba. Given the dry winter so far, this is a PowderAlert for the locals. However, the temperatures will remain mild, as the westerly flow will continue for the time being.

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Position of the fronts on 15.2. Blue: cold front, red: warm front, purple: occlusion — Location of the fronts on 15.2. blue: cold front, red: warm front, purple: occlusion

Met Office

Stormy in the short term

Two low-pressure systems are embedded in this strong westerly flow. Both will force the population of northern and central Europe in particular to spend a few cozy hours in warm, heated living rooms. Their core pressures are forecast to drop below 960 hPa and bring gales and precipitation. After the first cyclone passes through Germany from Wednesday to Thursday today, the next one is set to arrive on Friday. The associated fronts will also bring precipitation to the northern side of the Alps, unfortunately mostly in liquid form. Wind speeds of hurricane force may also be reached again on the peaks: stock up on mental food and close the windows tightly!

Hopeful in the medium term

For the beginning of next week, we find good reason for hope in the models. For what feels like the first time this winter, the upper-level current is turning fully north. If this proves to be the case, both the German low mountain ranges and the entire northern slopes of the Alps will receive a lot of snow and colder temperatures. If the high-pressure bridge then forms, everyone will be grinning and shredding powder in the Bluebird again.

Foehn in Antarctica

We have all long since understood that the Foehn is a warm wind, but not a hairdryer. Meteorologists have also long known that its warmth has to do with the moist rise of the air masses upwind of the Alps and the dry fall downwind. However, only proven experts are aware that foehn storms also occur in the Antarctic. Recently, a colossal piece of sea ice almost disintegrated as a result. If this exposes the land ice mass to the ocean, nasty feedbacks can drastically decimate the ice population. Although the Antarctic ice seems to be defying climate change to some extent in terms of its mass and area, the alarm signals are increasing. Gigantic icebergs are breaking off more and more frequently and kilometers of cracks are running through the, hopefully, eternal ice. More on this here.