Storms Bring 1 Meter / 40“ of Snow to European Alps for Christmas

While some North American ski resorts are having a tough start to the season, European resorts are being inundated this December with snow. A storm system coming from the northwest in Europe is bringing strong winds and up to 1 meter (~40 inches) in snowfalls to ski resorts in the Alps. The storm front is expected to last until Saturday, December 23, 2023, and cause abundant rainfall on the north side of the Alps, and a lot of snow on the mountains. On Christmas Eve, the northwest current will weaken and Christmas will be mild and sunny with fresh powder as a Christmas present.

The German ski resort Oberhof, which will host the Biathlon World Cup in January 2024, has had some damage from the strong winds to its event infrastructure. The resort was getting ready for the World Cup in the new year but on Wednesday heavy snow and strong winds caused some of the wooden infrastructure to collapse and is now being replaced by tents.

Austrian resorts in Tyrol are expected to see around 1 meter (~ 40 inches) of snow. The Austrian National Weather Center ‘LWZ’ expects heavy snowfall mainly in the Hinterwald, Kleinwalsertal, the Arlberg, the Klostertal, and the Montafon regions. It is expected that 20-75 cm (8-30 inches) of snow will fall from 1,200 meters (3,940 feet), and up to 75-100 cm (30-40 inches) in the Arlberg region (Pass, Lech, Warth, Kleinwalsertal). Some higher regions could see more than 1 meter (> 40 inches) of snowfalls until Christmas Eve.

Areas of Switzerland saw wind gusts of more than 100mph, with the record measurement coming from Gornergrat in Zermatt, where 184 kmh (115 mph) winds were measured on Thursday night, December 21, 2023. The Swiss Federal Weather Agency is expecting abundant snowfalls from Thursday noon to Saturday afternoon, above 1,500 meters (4,920 feet) of altitude. Most areas are anticipated to see snowfalls of between 60 – 90 cm (24-35 inches) while ski areas around the Gotthard massif could see as much as 120 cm (47 inches) of fresh snow. Moderate flood risks are in place for Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Biel, and Lake Murten, as well as the River Rhine. Avalanche danger in the Swiss Alps has been raised in the strongest affected areas to Level 4 “High”, the second highest level, and Level 3 “Moderate” in the other regions of the Swiss Alps.