Weather
This forecast was created at 4:20 p.m. PST on Thursday, November 20, 2025.
The European Alps are heading into a very active stretch, with two storm cycles bringing widespread fresh snow from Thursday night through late next week. The first system is colder and modest in depth but lays down a soft powder layer across almost every major resort. A stronger and more prolonged second storm arrives Sunday and continues in pulses into Wednesday and Thursday, with the deepest snow focused on the western and central Alps. By the end of the period, areas near Mont Blanc and the French Tarentaise are looking at roughly 60–90 cm (two to three feet) of accumulation, with around 30–60 cm (one to two feet) common across many Swiss and Austrian resorts and the Italian side of the Alps. Temperatures stay largely below freezing at ski elevations throughout, so precipitation remains snow from top to bottom across the ski terrain.
The first Thursday night through Saturday storm is a classic cold northerly event that spreads light but very high-quality snow over most of the Alps. Snow levels sit between sea level and about 427 m (1,400 feet), while temperatures at mid and upper mountain remain in the teens Fahrenheit, so all ski terrain from Kitzbühel up to the high bases at Val Thorens and Sölden sees snow rather than rain. Snow-to-liquid ratios with this wave run mostly in the mid to upper teens (roughly 16–20:1), firmly in the light, fluffy category, which means the initial accumulations of around 7.6 cm–15.2 cm [3″–6″] at most resorts will ski better than their modest depth suggests. Wengen (Jungfrau) in the Swiss Bernese Oberland stands out with about 17.8 cm–20.3 cm [7″–8″] by Saturday, while places such as Courchevel, Verbier, St. Moritz, and the Austrian Arlberg and Silvretta region (St. Anton, Ischgl, Samnaun) pick up on the order of 10.2 cm–15.2 cm [4″–6″] of soft, cold powder. Winds stay generally light to moderate from the north and northeast, with ridge-top gusts mostly in the 10 to 20 mph range, so wind impacts on lift operations and surface quality are limited in this first round.
The second and more substantial storm complex arrives Sunday and persists in waves into midweek, delivering the lion’s share of accumulation, especially to the western and central Alps. Snow develops Sunday or Sunday night from the Mont Blanc region south into the French Tarentaise and west into the Swiss Valais, then spreads farther east into Austria and the Dolomites by Monday. Early in this cycle, snow levels rise into the 914 m–1,433 m (3,000 to 4,700 feet) range in the west, keeping precipitation all snow at the high bases of Val Thorens, Tignes, Val d’Isère, and Courchevel but making it a bit denser at mid-mountain, with snow-to-liquid ratios mostly in the 10–13:1 range there. As colder air returns from the north between Tuesday and Wednesday, snow levels drop toward roughly 396 m–518 m (1,300–1,700 feet) and SLRs climb back into the mid to upper teens, so new snow becomes lighter and drier even as the storm gradually tapers. Over the course of this second wave, Chamonix is favored for roughly 60–90 cm (two to three feet) of accumulation, while Wengen (Jungfrau), Verbier, and the big Tarentaise resorts see something closer to 46–76 cm (one and a half to two and a half feet), focused from Sunday night through Tuesday night with lighter leftovers into Wednesday and Thursday.
Farther east in Austria and into the Dolomites, the Sunday night through Thursday storm is a bit less intense but still very productive, with multiple pulses gradually building depth. Resorts in the Tyrol and Silvretta region, such as Sölden, Kitzbühel, Ischgl, Samnaun, and St. Anton, tend to pick up their heaviest snowfall from Monday through Wednesday as the core of the storm shifts east and snow levels that had briefly climbed toward 975 m (3,200 feet) sink back down the valleys. Second-wave snow totals in these areas generally fall within about the 15.2 cm–35.6 cm [6″–14″] bracket, stacked on top of the very fluffy 10.2 cm–15.2 cm [4″–6″] from the first Thursday–Saturday storm, so combined amounts land in the low to mid teens by late week. In the southern Alps, Zermatt, Cervinia, and the Dolomites near Cortina d’Ampezzo also benefit from this second system, with a slightly denser burst Sunday night and Monday, followed by colder, lighter snow Tuesday into Wednesday night. By midweek, Cortina d’Ampezzo ends up with about 27.9 cm–45.7 cm [11″–18″] from both storms combined, while Zermatt and Cervinia see around 22.9 cm–40.6 cm [9″–16″] and 25.4 cm–40.6 cm [10″–16″] respectively, building a solid early-season base even where lifts are still closed.
From a skiing perspective, the best blend of fresh snow, cold temperatures, and manageable winds is already at Cortina d’Ampezzo and St. Moritz, with excellent prospects at other high, glacier-heavy areas as they come online. At Cortina d’Ampezzo, an initial 7.6 cm–10.2 cm [3″–4″] of light powder arrives from Thursday night into Friday, setting up soft surfaces ahead of a more substantial 20.3 cm–35.6 cm [8″–14″] burst from Monday into Wednesday night, all falling with SLRs mostly in the low to mid teens so snow quality remains on the colder, drier side. St. Moritz shows a similar pattern with about 10.2 cm–12.7 cm [4″–5″] from the first storm and another 12.7 cm–22.9 cm [5″–9″] early next week, and winds there generally hover near or below 20 mph, so lift-served terrain should hold chalky, wind-sifted snow rather than crust. Zermatt, Verbier, and St. Anton remain closed (with St. Anton scheduled to open December 5), but still gain helpful base-building totals through midweek, especially as higher-ratio, lighter snow returns late in the second storm. With temperatures staying below freezing throughout the vertical, even the denser early-phase snowfall of the second storm will settle into a supportive base, and the late-period fluff will nicely refresh the surface for anyone skiing the high Alps during this active pattern.
Ski Area Forecast Totals
- Chamonix – 63.5 cm–101.6 cm [25″–40″] total (7.6 cm–10.2 cm [3″–4″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 53.3 cm–91.4 cm [21″–36″] Sun (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Wengen (Jungfrau) – 55.9 cm–88.9 cm [22″–35″] total (17.8 cm–20.3 cm [7″–8″] Thu night (11/20) – Sat (11/22) + 38.1 cm–66 cm [15″–26″] Sun night (11/23) – Thu night (11/27))
- Val Thorens – 50.8 cm–83.8 cm [20″–33″] total (7.6 cm–10.2 cm [3″–4″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 43.2 cm–73.7 cm [17″–29″] Sun (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Courchevel – 50.8 cm–81.3 cm [20″–32″] total (10.2 cm–10.2 cm [4″–4″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 40.6 cm–68.6 cm [16″–27″] Sun (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Tignes – 48.3 cm–76.2 cm [19″–30″] total (5.1 cm–5.1 cm [2″–2″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 43.2 cm–71.1 cm [17″–28″] Sun (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Verbier – 45.7 cm–73.7 cm [18″–29″] total (10.2 cm–12.7 cm [4″–5″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 35.6 cm–61 cm [14″–24″] Sun night (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Val d’Isère – 43.2 cm–71.1 cm [17″–28″] total (5.1 cm–5.1 cm [2″–2″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 40.6 cm–66 cm [16″–26″] Sun (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Kitzbühel – 30.5 cm–50.8 cm [12″–20″] total (12.7 cm–15.2 cm [5″–6″] Thu night (11/20) – Sat (11/22) + 20.3 cm–35.6 cm [8″–14″] Mon night (11/24) – Thu night (11/27))
- Cortina d’Ampezzo – 27.9 cm–45.7 cm [11″–18″] total (7.6 cm–10.2 cm [3″–4″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 20.3 cm–35.6 cm [8″–14″] Mon (11/24) – Wed night (11/26))
- Sölden – 27.9 cm–45.7 cm [11″–18″] total (10.2 cm–12.7 cm [4″–5″] Thu night (11/20) – Sat (11/22) + 17.8 cm–33 cm [7″–13″] Mon (11/24) – Thu (11/27))
- Samnaun – 27.9 cm–45.7 cm [11″–18″] total (10.2 cm–12.7 cm [4″–5″] Thu night (11/20) – Sat (11/22) + 17.8 cm–30.5 cm [7″–12″] Sun night (11/23) – Thu (11/27))
- Ischgl – 27.9 cm–45.7 cm [11″–18″] total (10.2 cm–12.7 cm [4″–5″] Thu night (11/20) – Sat (11/22) + 17.8 cm–30.5 cm [7″–12″] Sun night (11/23) – Thu (11/27))
- Zermatt – 22.9 cm–40.6 cm [9″–16″] total (5.1 cm–5.1 cm [2″–2″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 20.3 cm–33 cm [8″–13″] Sun night (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- Cervinia – 25.4 cm–40.6 cm [10″–16″] total (2.5 cm–2.5 cm [1″–1″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 22.9 cm–35.6 cm [9″–14″] Sun night (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
- St. Anton – 22.9 cm–38.1 cm [9″–15″] total (10.2 cm–10.2 cm [4″–4″] Thu night (11/20) – Sat (11/22) + 15.2 cm–25.4 cm [6″–10″] Sun night (11/23) – Thu (11/27))
- St. Moritz – 22.9 cm–35.6 cm [9″–14″] total (10.2 cm–12.7 cm [4″–5″] Thu night (11/20) – Fri night (11/21) + 12.7 cm–22.9 cm [5″–9″] Sun night (11/23) – Wed night (11/26))
