Magazine

As my colleagues predicted last week, all that's left for me this week is the meteorological start of winter and tough, snow-unfriendly weather conditions. For the time being, we'll have to make do with what's left of the first snow of the season and what the snow cannons are still producing.

There is a magic in every beginning, and winter has got off to a magical start.

There is no corresponding translation for the Italian term "la foliage": it describes the changing color of the leaves in autumn. In recent days or even weeks, the colorful foliage in the light-flooded treetops and under a blue sky has painted a picture-book Indian summer. Together, we will find out why the leaves are changing color, what this has to do with climate change and what the term "climate greening" means. Of course, we'll also take a look at further weather developments, which predict some snowfall at the end of the forecast period.

The oracle has spoken and announced the temporary start of winter in the Alps. Yesterday was a powder day with bright sunshine, even though the north-westerly wind was blowing freshly around our ears in the summit regions. As indicated in the last WeatherBlog, the blocking high-pressure situation has disappeared and made way for westerly and north-westerly currents. Autumn storm "Joshua" also played a role in this. One of the strongest hurricanes since records began is raging in the Caribbean. "Melissa" has hit Jamaica and is moving on towards Cuba.

Autumn is showing its best side and with the mountain peaks already covered in sugar, the first winter feelings are starting to set in. The current fantastic weather and the prospect of snow next week motivate us to write our first WeatherBlog.

The title and PowderAlert say it all: it's raining cats and dogs on the southern side of the Alps and a lot of snow is falling at high altitudes. We briefly discuss what a heavy precipitation event is and look at the current event in detail. Finally, we briefly recap the winter and bring the WeatherBlog season to a conditional close.

The cool, sunny spring weather will increasingly turn into summer temperatures with the onset of the Föhn wind. A late onset of winter is not in sight, but at least some precipitation is possible in the south after the long sunny spell.

Central european summertime has started and April has begun - and with it the familiar April weather, with spring and winter battling it out for the upper hand. After the surprisingly heavy snowfall on the northern slopes of the Alps, the weather calms down for the time being. However, a further outbreak of cold air and another northerly flow are to be expected.

The period of southern storms is over and this week we are dealing with slightly early April weather. A mix of sun and clouds and a few showers here and there characterize the picture. Winter might make a comeback over the weekend!

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.

Two PowderAlerts after a long drought! And at least in parts of the Alps, it's continuing to be reasonably wintry! The south in particular is benefiting from a relatively stationary area of low pressure that lies diagonally over Spain and France and is repeatedly producing südstau this week. In the north (east), the amounts remain lower and will not significantly improve the snow conditions, but will hopefully at least alleviate the acute risk of forest fires.