Snow Overviews

France

Updated 17/03

Spring conditions dominate across the French Alps, with high pressure bringing fine, dry and bright conditions throughout this week. Freezing overnight temperatures give way to warmth int he midday sun, as the freezing line yo-yos from 500m to 2,000m in a typical spring freeze-thaw.

This oscillation will slowly flatten over the course of this week as cloud moves into the region, settling on a pivot around 1,000m. This will bring with it a few flurries of snow into the weekend, with a useful 5cm falling across upper slopes.

Cloud begins to give way to this spring freeze-thaw sunshine again as the new week begins.

Switzerland

Updated 17/03

Spring conditions dominate across the Swiss Alps through this week, as high pressure brings fine, dry and bright conditions across the region. Temperatures will yo-yo in a typical spring freeze-thaw pattern, the freezing line dropping to 500m overnight but rising to 2,000m in the midday sun.

Cloud and more unsettled weather brings with it some snow through this weekend, the best of which will be in the east of the country; around 15cm will fall from Saturday into Sunday, but with the oscillations of the freezing line settling around 1,500 this will mean that this snowfall will favour upper slopes. Western areas will see around 5cm.

Conditions will continue to be cloudy into the new week with the chance of more snowfall, but it remains a bit too far out to suggest how much, where and when.

Austria

Updated 17/03

Spring conditions dominate across the Austrian Alps through this week, as high pressure brings fine, dry and bright conditions across the region. Temperatures will yo-yo in a typical spring freeze-thaw pattern, the freezing line dropping to 500m overnight but rising to just shy of 2,000m in the midday sun.

Cloud and more unsettled weather brings with it some snow through this weekend, the best of which will be in the east of the country; around 15cm will fall from Saturday into Sunday, but with the oscillations of the freezing line settling around 1,500 this will mean that this snowfall will favour upper slopes. Western areas will see around 5cm.

More unsettled weather is due for the new week, although it remains too far out to fully see how much snow, when and where.

Italy

Updated 17/03

Spring conditions dominate across the Italian Alps through this week, as high pressure brings fine, dry and bright conditions across the region. Temperatures will yo-yo in a typical spring freeze-thaw pattern, the freezing line dropping to 1000m overnight but rising to just shy of 2,000m in the midday sun; slightly colder in the south and west versus the east.

Cloud and more unsettled weather brings with it some snow through this weekend, the best of which will be in the east of the country; around 10cm will fall from Saturday into Sunday in the Dolomites bringing a useful freshener as we head towards the end of the season. With the oscillations of the freezing line settling around 1,500 this will mean that this snowfall will favour upper slopes. Western areas will see around 5cm, with the northwest settling for a few freshening flurries.

Germany

Updated 17/03

Spring conditions dominate the German Alps this week, as high pressure across Central Europe brings with it fine, dry and bright weather. Cloud and unsettled weather will move in over this weekend bringing with it a few flurries of snowfall for upper slopes. After a brief burst of sunshine into the new week, cloud and unsettled weather – and possibly more snow – will arrive later in the new week.

Spain & Andorra

Updated 17/03

Mild conditions dominate across the Pyrenees through this week and into the weekend, with the freezing line tracking downwards from close to 3,000m at the start of this forecast period to 2,000m by its close. Cloud will move in overnight and with it a few flurries of precipitation – falling as snow on higher ground. This pattern will continue throughout the weekend and into the new week.

Links – Spain

Links – Andorra

Eastern Europe

Updated 17/03

Settled conditions will be in play across most of Eastern Europe and the Balkans through this week and into the weekend; temperatures will remain mild across northern and eastern areas, but will be cool-to-cold across the south. This pattern will continue through this weekend and into the new week.

Useful Links – Bulgaria

Useful Links – Other Eastern Europe

Scotland

Updated 17/03

After last weekend’s good snowfall and stormy conditions, mild weather will dominate across the Highlands this week as the freezing line soars.

Cool and cold weather will move in at the end of the weekend, as the freezing line takes a long walk off a short pier. At the same time, unsettled conditions will move in bringing with them good chances of snowfall particularly on the Best West Coast.

Scandinavia

Updated 17/03

Across southern, central and northeastern areas conditions remain mild for most of this forecast period. A few bits of precipitation will fall to start this week which, thanks to these mild conditions, will fall as rain.

The northwest Atlantic seawall will see steady snowfall across this week and into the week, with at least 10cm falling each day over this period. Mild conditions at resort base level may see this falling as rain rather than snow, but good conditions should be in play for this area.

Useful Links

Norway

Sweden

Finland

Japan

Updated 17/03

A tale of two halves for Japan this week, as the season seems to have come to a juddering halt in the south but keeps plodding on in the north.

Honshu remains mild and damp, with lots of rain forecast for this week; temperatures remain mild with the freezing line ticking up above mid-mountain level. A short, sharp burst of snow and cold weather will keep things hopeful as the weekend dawns, albeit mild and sunny weather quickly returns.

On Hokkaido. cold weather is the theme of the week, with snowfall coming before the weekend – around 20cm on Friday night will make for mega riding conditions over the weekend.

USA

Updated 17/03

Mild conditions will return across the Left Coast this week and into this weekend, thanks to a “pineapple express” atmospheric river bringing warm air in off the Pacific. Sun will dominate across the region which has seen many resorts shut up shop already for the summer in the wake of a disastrous conditions.

Bitterly cold weather moves in for the Ice Coast this week which will ease as the weekend approaches, and a few flurries of snow move in. A big dump is expected on the weekend as temperatures plummet again with about a foot expected down on Sunday night and into Monday.

Canada

Updated 17/03

Rain and mild conditions dominate across the Coastals, BC Interior and Rockies through this week and into the weekend; this will change abruptly as temperatures take a long walk off a short pier and this precipitation rapidly changes to snow – lots of it in the Coastals, with up to 40cm expected down.

Much of this will blow itself out before it hits the Interior, with the Rockies seeing a few flurries moving in off the Plains.

Over the St Lawrence, things start cold before improving as snowy weather moves in, bringing steady, consistent snowfall for the end of this week and into the weekend.