Latest snow forecast
Updated: 6.40pm Friday 10 March 2023
The north-western Alps are currently being battered by a big storm, with blizzards at altitude and some rain lower down. The rain/snow limit has been proving extremely difficult to forecast all week and remains volatile, with considerable differences from place to place and from one day to the next.
It was about 2100m at its highest late on Thursday, but has ended up being much lower than originally feared, probably not exceeding 1800m anywhere now until the weather starts to improve later this weekend. Today it has typically been around 1300-1400m in the French Alps and is set fall to as low as 600m in some northern parts of the Alps tomorrow.
The heaviest precipitation from this latest storm has been and will continue to fall in the northern French Alps, especially close to the high border areas (e.g. Chamonix valley and Haute Tarentaise). Between this morning and the early hours of Sunday, these regions can expect to have over 1m or more of new snow above 2200m. Other parts of the north-western Alps, including the western Italian Alps (e.g. La Thuile), the rest of the northern French Alps (e.g. 3 Valleys, Grand Massif), the western Swiss Alps (e.g. Verbier, Zermatt) and the Arlberg (e.g. Lech) can expect between 40-80cm above 2200m.
Apart from in the Arlberg, any precipitation has been and will continue to be lighter and patchier the further south and east you are. Storm totals will only be in the order of a few centimetres in St Moritz and Kaprun, for example, and next to nothing in the Dolomites or Isola 2000.
Whatever the case, the wind will also play a big factor in the weather this weekend, especially at altitude, which will increase the risk of avalanche, especially where there has been lots of snow...
Heavy snow today in Val d’Isère – 10 March 2023 – Photo: valdisere.com
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