The incoming Snow - November 20th 2015

This coming weekend is going to be interesting to say the least...

In essence, several bands of very heavy and intense precipitation are going to track across The Alps, from roughly North West to South East; intermixed with increasingly cold air.

Temperatures will drop by roughly 15C between Friday and Sunday.

Local effects are going to determine the exact outcome, but it'll be a mix of very heavy rain giving way to snow for just about everywhere. For some places, largely to the North and West of the main alpine ridge (Mont Blanc), some huge snowfalls are looking likely - down to the valley floor - with very cold temperatures by the start of next week.

Other locations may see initial periods of torrential rain turning more slowly to snow, but our expectation right now is that these will be in the minority.

Another factor to further complicate things is the likelihood of strong winds in places; so we might see top slopes being wind-scoured with lower elevations getting deluged with snow falling in calmer air...

Substantial accumulations on previously warm ground are never a good thing, even if it's going to get cold quickly, and we'd expect the avalanche risk to be high and widespread on affected slopes for a while.

Once the storm has passed, the open resorts should have epic conditions next week but we'd really urge caution for anyone thinking of heading into the mountains this weekend; check local conditions and forecasts very carefully and expect the weather to change very rapidly...

And do enjoy the views changing on the webcams from tomorrow onward... 8)