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Updated: 12pm Thursday 8 January 2026 – Storm cycle in progress in the Alps!

Overnight we have already seen bands of (mostly light) snow crossing the western Alps and falling to very low altitudes. Today the snow will become heavier and more persistent across the western and especially north-western Alps, albeit with a complicated rain/snow limit.

With so much cold air in place over the Alps, snow will initially fall to very low altitudes in all areas. However, the warm sector of the storm approaching later today will replace this snow with rain in the more exposed areas of the western Alps this afternoon and evening, with a maximum rain/snow limit of around 1500–1800m. However, the cold air will hold on with snow falling to low altitudes for longer in the enclosed valleys, and the further east and deeper into the Alps you go.

Later tonight, it will start to turn colder again from the north-west, with the rain/snow limit returning to around 1000–1200m in the areas that have seen some rain, but it will probably never exceed this in the more internal Alpine valleys (e.g. upper Valais).

Then, later on Friday, much colder air will filter back across most of the Alps with the rain/snow limit returning to the lowlands by Friday night and staying there on Saturday.

By the end of Saturday, we should have seen 60–80cm of new snow at 1800m across the northern French Alps (with more in places), with 40–70cm likely in the western Swiss Alps (e.g. Verbier) and the far north-western Italian Alps (e.g. La Thuile, Courmayeur). More on this in our detailed weather & snow forecast for the Alps, out later today!

Not surprisingly, snow conditions in the snow-starved north-western Alps will improve considerably over the next few days, with caveats. Firstly, there is little or no base to speak of at lower altitudes, meaning that there won’t suddenly be a miraculous improvement in the off-piste.

Secondly, the risk of avalanche will become very high, partly because of the heavy snow itself, but also due to the lack of any cohesive surface onto which it is falling (because of the absence of snow or very hard/icy base). Wind will further complicate the situation, so the advice is to stick to the pistes for now.

The best skiing conditions for anyone in the Alps this weekend are likely to be in the western Alps on Sunday when the storm will be easing, the sun should start to come out, and there will be lots of cold powdery snow around. However, once again, this is not a time to be venturing off-piste. Stick to the open runs for now!

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Updated: 12pm Wednesday 7 January 2026 – 1 metre of fresh snow possible in the north-western Alps by Saturday night!

Before that happens, we have one last day of mostly dry weather in the Alps (albeit with cloud thickening in the west later in the day) ahead of weather fronts that will bring snow to many regions from Thursday onwards.

Thursday itself will see snow spreading across the western and north-western Alps, heaviest later in the day in the northern French Alps (Espace Killy, 3 Valleys, Grand Massif, Portes du Soleil), the western Swiss Alps (e.g Verbier, Glacier 3000) and the far north-west of Italy (e.g. Courmayeur, La Thuile). The snow will start and remain at very low levels in some internal valleys (e.g. Valais), but will be replaced by rain to around 1500m for a time in more exposed areas later in the day before it turns colder again on Thursday night.

Friday will see further snow, again heaviest in the north-west with a rain/snow limit around 1000m but falling to very low levels later in the day.

Further flurries are forecast to very low levels across many northern parts of the Alps on Saturday before the weather improves from the north-west on Sunday. As a rule of thumb, over the coming days there will be less snow the further south-east you are, though the extreme south-east (e.g. Nassfeld) may see a pocket of enhanced snowfall on Friday.

Between Thursday and Saturday night we can expect 50-100cm of fresh snow above 1500m across many western and north-western parts of the Alps, including Alpe d’Huez, Val d’Isère, Val Thorens, Chamonix, La Thuile, Verbier and Glacier 3000.

Snowfalls will be more modest but still useful (15-40cm) in the southern French Alps (e.g. Risoul), the Milky Way (e.g Sestriere), the central and eastern Swiss Alps (e.g Flims) and the northern Austrian Alps (e.g. Saalbach), although Austria may see a spike on Saturday night, especially in the far west (Arlberg).

For the rest of the southern Alps, it will be a bit hit and miss, with only a few centimetres likely in Livigno, Passo Tonale and the Dolomites, for example, but perhaps 20cm or more in Nassfeld in the east of Carinthia. 

Updated: 1pm Tuesday 6 January 2026 – The weather in the Alps is about to change, with up to 50-70cm of snow forecast later this week!

After another mostly dry day tomorrow, the much-anticipated change to the weather will arrive in the Alps early on Thursday, with the first weather fronts reaching the north-western Alps (e.g. Portes du Soleil). The bad weather will then go on to affect much of the northern and western Alps, with several waves of precipitation lasting through Friday and Saturday before it brightens up again on Saturday.

On Thursday, the rain/snow limit will start very low before rising towards 1200–1500m in places. On Friday, it will then start dropping from the north-west to reach very low levels again on Friday night and into Saturday.

Between Wednesday night and Sunday morning we could see between 50–70cm of new snow above 1500m in the northern French Alps (e.g. 3 Valleys, Flaine, Avoriaz), the western Swiss Alps (e.g. Verbier) and the Arlberg (e.g. Lech, St Anton). More generally, most of the northern and western Alps should see 25–50cm. The southern Alps will see much less, and in some cases no snow at all.

Updated: 12pm Monday 5 January 2026 – Still cold and mostly fine in the Alps, before a change of weather pattern later this week...

Tomorrow could again see a few flurries in the far south-eastern Alps otherwise most regions will be dry with plenty of sunshine, albeit very cold.

The weather in the Alps will then become much more unsettled from Thursday onwards, with weather fronts moving in from the west, delivering more widespread and heavier snow on Thursday, Friday and possibly into the weekend. This time the north-western Alps are likely to see the heaviest snow, especially the northern French and western Swiss Alps. Watch this space!

For now, snow levels remain significantly below par just about everywhere for early January, with only parts of the far south-west (e.g. Prato Nevoso, Isola 2000) close to or above average.

There are still some enjoyable on-piste conditions here and there, especially at altitude, but also plenty of very hard-packed or icy slopes, especially lower down. There is very little off-piste to speak of. 

Updated: 11am Sunday 4 January 2026 – Mostly sunny but very cold in the Alps!

It will remain mostly fine but cold over the next few days, but with more in the way of cloud in the south-east (Dolomites, Carinthia), where some flurries are likely later on Monday and especially on Tuesday.

Later this week there is then a good chance that we will see more significant and widespread snow as storms begin to pile into the Alps from the north-west. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, snow depths continue to be way below normal for early January across most of the Alps, still aside from parts of the far south-west (e.g. Prato Nevoso).

That’s not to say there isn’t still some good piste skiing around but, following the New Year crowds, the snow is typically hard-packed with icy patches, especially lower down.

The most recent snowfalls of any note were in the central northern Alps where around 10-20cm (and up to 40cm in places) fell on Friday night in an area roughly between Engelberg and the Arlberg including resorts such as Mythen, Stoos, Flumserberg, Braunwald, Damüls, Warth-Schröcken, Lech and St Anton. However, most of the Alps haven’t seen any significant snow for some weeks and off-piste opportunities remain very limited for now. 

Updated: 9.30am Saturday 3 January 2026 – Fresh snow for some northern parts of the Alps!

For most other parts of the Alps, it has again stayed dry, but it is cold which means that the snow cannons are able to operate at full capacity.

The next significant snow is likely to fall on Tuesday or Wednesday and in the south-eastern Alps (i.e. the south and east of Austria, and the Dolomites). More widespread snow is also on the cards for later next week but, again, it’s too early to be sure at this stage. 

Updated: 3pm Friday 2 January 2026 – Fresh snow for a lucky few...

For most of the northern Alps this will only amount to a few centimetres at most, and barely a dusting in the northern French Alps. However, if you are lucky enough to be close to the northern foothills of the Alps (roughly between Engelberg in Switzerland and St Anton/Lech in Austrian) you could see up to 15cm or more by tomorrow morning. Either way, any snow will fall to very low levels and will be “dry” in nature.

For most of the Alps though, the wait for the next snowfall continues. Regular followers will know that the weather models have been particularly volatile in recent days with the latest suggesting that the eastern Alps (parts of Austria and the Dolomites) could be in line for some significant snow around next Tuesday but as things stand, the reliability of any forecasts remains middling to low.

In the very short term, it will be ski resorts like Engelberg, Mythen, Flumserberg, Lech, Damüls, Warth-Schröcken and St Anton that will offering the best piste-conditions this weekend. 

Updated: 3pm Thursday 1 January 2026 – Mostly fine today in the Alps, with snow for some northern areas later tomorrow...

These areas are likely to see close to 15cm of fresh snow between Friday afternoon and Saturday morning. More generally we will see falls of 5-10cm across the northern fringes of the Alps (e.g. Wengen, Zugspitz Arena, Kaprun), but probably only a dusting in the far northern French Alps (e.g. Portes du Soleil). The central and southern Alps will remain dry.

Once this front moves away on Saturday morning, most of the Alps can expect several days of cold, dry and sunny weather (above any valley cloud at least). The first real chance of any widespread significant snow now looks to be around 9 January but, this far out, forecasts are far from certain.

Snow conditions remain rather poor across the Alps in general. There is still plenty of enjoyable piste skiing on offer but, aside from in the far south-west, snow depths are way below average for early January meaning that off-piste opportunities are very limited or non-existent.

For anyone heading out to the Alps this weekend, the “freshest” on-piste conditions are likely to be in the far northern or north-eastern Swiss Alps (e.g. Engelberg, Mythen, Santis region, Flumserberg), the far north-western Austrian Alps (e.g. St Anton, Lech, Warth-Schröcken, Damüls, Klein Walsertal) and adjacent border areas in Germany (e.g. Oberstdorf).  

Updated: 9.30am Wednesday 31 December 2025 – Cold in the Alps, with plenty of sunshine at altitude...

Thursday and Friday will remain mostly dry in the Alps, with variable cloud, some sunny spells and fractionally milder temperatures. On Friday night and Saturday, a weak cold front will reach the northern Alps which may deliver a few centimetres of snow close to the northern foothills (e.g. Avoriaz, Engelberg, Lech, Zugspitze), however, the progress and intensity of this front remain uncertain at this stage.

In the meantime, snow conditions in the Alps remain mixed. The skiing is still excellent in the far south-west (Isola 2000, Prato Nevoso) which saw a lot of snow last week. A few centimetres of snow have also fallen during the last 24 hours in some northern and north-eastern parts of the Alps (mostly in Austria).

For most of the Alps, though, snow depths are way below par for late December with some reasonable conditions on higher pistes, but increasingly worn, patchy or icy slopes in many lower areas. 

Updated: 12pm Tuesday 30 December 2025 – Mostly fine weather, but with a few flurries in the eastern Austrian Alps...

Temperatures will be on the cold side, with freezing levels mostly below 1000m, except for in the far south-west (e.g. Isola 2000) where they will be around 2300m.

New Year’s Eve will bring similar weather conditions with plenty of cool, dry sunny weather but a few flurries again in the far eastern Alps. Then, after a quiet and slightly milder couple of days on Thursday and Friday, the weather in the Alps will become a bit more complicated as the mass of cold arctic air to the north moves further south.

Until recently, there was hope that this Arctic airmass would bring significant snow to parts of the Alps as it bumped up against milder air to the south. However, the weather models are constantly changing and this now looks less likely, at least in the short term. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, snow conditions in the Alps remain mixed. The skiing is still excellent in the far south-west (Isola 2000, Prato Nevoso) which saw a lot of snow last week. However, for most of the Alps, snow depths are way below par for late December with some reasonable pistes higher up but increasingly worn, patchy or icy slopes in many lower areas. 

Updated: 12pm Monday 29 December 2025 – Still mostly sunny across the Alps...

Most areas will remain fine (at least at altitude) over the next few days, although the far eastern Alps may see more in the way of cloud with a few very light flurries. It will also turn colder, especially in the Austrian Alps where freezing levels will be down into the lowlands by mid-week.

As for the next significant snow? This is now likely to arrive in the southern Alps first, probably this weekend, possibly affecting other parts of the Alps at times next week, although there remains a lot of uncertainty at this stage. Watch this space…

In the meantime, snow conditions in the Alps remain mixed. The skiing is still excellent in the far south-western Alps (Isola 2000, Prato Nevoso) where there was a lot of snow last week.

For most of the Alps, though, snow depths are considerably below par for late December with some reasonable piste conditions higher up, but increasingly worn, patchy or icy slopes in many lower areas. 

Updated: 3.30pm Sunday 28 December 2025 – Mostly sunny across the Alps...

In the valley bottoms, especially beneath any low cloud and fog, temperatures have struggled to get above freezing. However, higher up, temperatures have typically reached 6˚C at 2000m and 1˚C at 3000m across much of the Alps. The one exception has been in the far eastern/north-eastern Alps (e.g. Obertauern) where freezing levels have remained closer to 1300m.  

Over the next few days, it will remain mostly sunny in the Alps but will turn much colder, especially in the north-east. The next significant snow is forecast for early in the New Year but there is still lots of uncertainty over the detail.

In the meantime, snow conditions in the Alps remain mixed. The skiing is excellent right now in the far south-west (Isola 2000, Prato Nevoso) which saw a lot of snow last week.

For most of the Alps, however, snow depths are considerably below par for late December, with some reasonable pistes at higher altitudes, but increasingly worn, patchy or icy slopes in many lower areas. 

Updated: 12pm Thursday 25 December 2025 – Still snowing in the far south-western Alps!

Some other western Italian ski resorts will see some flurries today (e.g. Sestriere, Monte Rosa region), which will occasionally spill over the high border regions into France (e.g. Isola 2000, Queyras) and Switzerland (e.g. Saas-Fee). Otherwise, most of the Alps will be dry today with the best of the sunshine the further north-east you are.

Snow conditions are clearly outstanding now in the far south-western Alps, especially in the southern Piemonte, although it won’t be until later tomorrow (when skies start to clear) and over the weekend before the full potential here is realised.

Many other southern alpine regions have seen at least a little snow over the last day or two, with more falling in some southern French resorts (e.g. Isola 2000, Auron) and the eastern Monte Rosa (e.g. Alagna).

For more of the Alps, however, the long wait for a significant dump continues. While there is still some reasonable piste-skiing in many places, especially at higher altitudes, the lack of recent snow combined with a sharp increase in skier traffic means that many lower slopes are a little worn, threadbare or icy.

There is still hope that these snow-starved central and northern parts of the Alps will see snow around or early in the New Year, although this is still uncertain.

In the meantime, a very happy Christmas from Weather to ski!

Updated: 11am Wednesday 25 December 2025 – Snowfall in the southern Alps becoming a little more widespread for a time… ...

Between now and the end of Thursday we could see 40-50cm of additional snow in Prato Nevoso and Limone Piemonte, where at least 1m has already fallen this week! Isola 2000, the Queyras, Sestriere, Prali, Cervinia, Zermatt, Saas-Fee and the Monte Rosa region should pick up 10-30cm, while the Dolomites should see 5-15cm.

Most other parts of the Alps will miss out (i.e most of the north), but there will be significant areas of cloud around and it will be very windy at times.

Snow conditions remain less than ideal across a wide swathe of the Alps, especially in the north, due to a lack of significant snow in recent weeks. Some reasonable piste-skiing is still possible, especially at altitude, but the snow is often hard-packed or icy in places, especially with increasing skier traffic.

Weather models are suggesting a “Nordstau” around the turn of the year which will bring snow to low levels across the northern Alps, especially Switzerland and Austria, but this remains far from certain at this stage.

By contrast, snow conditions in the far south-west are excellent, or will be as soon as the storms clear to allow some good visibility later in the week. Many other southern regions will also see a slight and/or temporary improvement in snow conditions over the next couple of days, due to the modest falls expected here. 

Updated: 11am Monday 22 December 2025 – More heavy snow in the far south-west of the Alps, but for most areas the snow drought continues...

It will barely stop snowing now until Thursday in the southern Piemonte (Prato Nevoso, Limone) and the eastern Alpes Maritimes (Isola 2000). Some of the more extreme snowfall totals forecast have now been scaled back but there could still be well over 100cm of fresh snow in the southern Piedmonte by Thursday, but more likely 50-70cm in Isola 2000.

The northern extent of any significant fresh snow has also been downgraded somewhat, although there should still be some useful top-ups over the next few days in some other southern French ski resorts, especially close to the Italian border (with perhaps 30cm in the Queyras) and in some other south-western Italian resorts. Sestriere, for instance, could see 10-20cm, with Prali getting as much as 40-50cm.

Today’s rain/snow limit will be around 800-900m in the southern Piemonte (due to orographic forcing), and a little higher over the border in France. It will also creep up a bit over the next few days but will generally remain low in the areas of heaviest precipitation in the far south-west.

For most other parts of the Alps there will be little if any snow over the next few days. Only on Wednesday night could we see any snow showers in the far south-west becoming a bit more widespread, but these will still mostly be contained to the southern Alps, with the north (e.g. Avoriaz, Verbier, Engelberg, St Anton) remaining mostly dry.

Anyone looking for relief for the northern Alps (or indeed most of the Alps away from the south-west) will need to wait until the end of the year at least, at which point some weather models are indicating that there could be some heavy snow on its way. It is far too early to be sure at this stage, however.

For now, snow conditions remain less than ideal across a wide swathe of the Alps. While there is still some good piste-skiing on offer, especially at altitude, many lower slopes are looking a bit worn or patchy, not helped by the increasing volume of skiers this week. If it’s fresh snow you’re after, you will need to head to the far south-western Alps. 

Updated: 11am Saturday 20 December 2025 – Fairly quiet today, but extreme snowfall is on its way to the far south-western Alps next week!

Later tomorrow, some heavier precipitation will move into the south-western Alps which will last through to the middle of next week. It will also turn colder, with the rain/snow limit descending towards 1000m.

There is the potential for some extreme snowfalls in the far south-west of the Alps (e.g. Prato Nevo and Limone Piemonte), where between 100cm and 150cm of new snow is possible by Wednesday. Other south-western areas that should see significant snow, albeit not in the same quantities, include Isola 2000, Auron, the Queyras and perhaps even Val d'Isère. For most other Alpine regions, it will remain dry and turn colder everywhere (after a mild start) next week, perhaps turning very cold towards the end of the week.

As detailed in our latest snow report, snow depths in the Alps are mostly below par for the time of year, although there is still lots of decent piste-skiing on offer.

By far the best snow conditions next week will be in the far south-western resorts mentioned above, although for Prato Nevoso and Limone Piemonte in particular there could be too much snow for a time!

For more detail, check out our latest country by country Christmas weather & snow forecast for the Alps, out later today… 

Updated: 11am Friday 19 December 2025 – A new weather disturbance has reached the south-western Alps today...

For most of the Alps, it will be a dry and mild day today, with variable cloud cover but some good sunny spells, especially in the eastern Alps. 

Over the next few days, rain or snow showers will continue to affect the south-western Alps. Precipitation will be heaviest on Monday, by when at least another 50cm is likely to have fallen in the same areas that did well earlier this week – e.g. Prato Nevoso, Limone Piemonte and perhaps Isola 2000. The rain/snow limit will also drop over the weekend, with snow falling to 1000m or lower by the end of Sunday.

Other regions that may see some useful snow over the next few days include the Milky Way (e.g. Sestriere), the Monte Rosa region (e.g. Alagna) and, to a lesser extent, Zermatt, Saas-Fee and possibly even Val Cenis, Val d’Isère and Tignes.

The northern and eastern Alps will generally miss out, although it should turn colder everywhere next week. 

Updated: 10am Wednesday 17 December 2025 – Significant fresh snow has fallen in the far south-western Alps in the last 36 hours...

This cloud is the remnant of a storm which dropped significant snow across some south-western parts of the Alps yesterday, with over 50cm in the far southern Piemonte areas of Prato Nevoso and Limone Piemonte.

Some other south-western regions, including Isola 2000, Sestriere and Alagna, also saw some useful snow but most of the Alps have been dry, if rather cloudy, over the last 36 hours. 

Today there are a few light flurries in the central and eastern Italian Alps (Dolomites), however most regions will be dry with variable cloud but generally increasing sunshine later in the day.

Looking a bit further ahead, it looks like there could be further significant snow in the south-western Alps (especially the Italian Piemonte) in the run up to Christmas, though widespread significant snow in the Alps is unlikely any time soon. 

See our archive for what was happening on previous days in the Alps