The northern Alps will get back in the action later this week and through the weekend, but an overall eastward shift of the potential third storm will limit the accumulations. Still, fresh snow will be falling across the northern Alps with some decent to very good pow days on the way. 

There will still be some lingering rain/snow showers on Thursday in the Alps and Pyrenees, but it will be dry for the most part. Friday will begin calm and dry but the first of two systems moves into western Europe on Friday evening. Below, you can see the first storm impacting the region from Friday through Sunday, tracking between the Alps and Pyrenees. 

The second storm then drops down from the north, tracking through eastern Austria/Slovakia. At the end of the GIF, you can see the third storm, which, with this track to the east of the Alps, will have little to no impact.

The weekend storm will bring moderate to heavy snow to the northern Pyrenees and northern Alps from Friday through Sunday.  This storm should bring 15 - 30 cm across the northern Alps. The latest forecast from the ICON model is shown below.

Favored locations in the northern Swiss and northern Austrian Alps could see 25 - 50 cm by Sunday afternoon. In the eastern Alps, the break on Sunday afternoon will be short-lived, with the next storm moving in on Sunday night. 

With this storm tracking through eastern Austria/Slovakia, impacts will be limited to the eastern Alps. Still, there is some uncertainty with the track, and with such a sharp cutoff in the precipitation, snow totals remain unclear. Below is an early look at the snow forecast from the European model for Sunday through Tuesday of next week. 

This model keeps the accumulations confined to the eastern Austrian Alps. Other model runs have had more snow farther west, into the eastern Swiss Alps, or farther east, with even less snow in the eastern Austrian Alps. There is model disagreement regarding the strength of this storm, too. Right now, I think 10 - 20 cm is possible in the eastern Austrian Alps, with 5 - 15 cm from the eastern Swiss Alps to the western Austrian Alps. We will have to keep a close eye on the track, though, as minor shifts will impact those snow totals. 

A stronger upper-level low is expected to drop down into Europe in the middle of next week, but the latest guidance has this storm too far east, with the ridge moving into western Europe. This should provide several days of drier and calmer weather with warm temperatures. More storms are possible later next week, but the position of the troughs and ridges isn't clear. The potential remains for some strong storms, but confidence is low.

My next post will be on Friday.

Thanks for reading the Europe Daily Snow!

Luke Stone
Forecaster, OpenSnow

NEW: Forecast Range Graphs

You can now view individual forecasts from global and regional high-resolution weather models in OpenSnow. This includes forecasts from the GFS, ECMWF, HRRR, and ICON models, as well as the OpenSnow blend.

The graphs give you a behind-the-scenes look at the forecast and make it easier to see if the forecast models are in tight agreement or if there is a wide range of potential outcomes over the next 10 days.

Note: This is currently only available in the OpenSnow iOS app and website (OpenSnow.com). Android will be available soon.

Getting Started

1. Go to any location screen.
2. Scroll down under "Weather" or "Snow Summary".
3. Tap "View Interactive Chart" in the app.
4. Adjust the model, timeframe, or data view.

Why is the Forecast Range helpful?

Understand if there is high or low confidence in the forecast. If all models show a similar forecast, there is higher confidence in the forecast, and vice versa.

Dig into the details. If you have experience looking at weather model data and trust certain models or higher-resolution models, you'll be able to isolate your favorite data.

View → Forecast Range Graphs