Seven die in massive Alps snowfall from Germany to Italy

At least seven people have died in the Alps during a weekend of heavy snow, with skiers facing a high avalanche risk in Austria, Germany and Italy.

Two separate avalanches killed two German skiers in Austria's Vorarlberg mountains. A third skier died in Pongau district, near Salzburg.

In Bavaria, a skier died when a tree collapsed near Bad Tölz. An avalanche killed a young woman in Bavaria's Teisenberg mountains.

Two climbers died in the Italian Alps.

A mountain rescue team found their bodies in the area of 2,800m (9,186ft) Mt Cristalliera, in the Alps north of Turin.

Rescuers are searching for several missing people elsewhere in the Alps.

The second-highest avalanche warning level is now in force across the Austrian Tyrol and in much of the Bavarian Alps.

Skiers have been warned to avoid any off-piste skiing, and many mountain roads have been closed because of the avalanche risk.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-46780856

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/07/ski-resort-evacuated-thousands-stranded-heavy-snow-blankets/

Admin - just wondering what the forecasting models are looking like for Austria? Are there any signs this snow is going to let up in the next few weeks at all??

blackpool-skier wrote:Are there any signs this snow is going to let up in the next few weeks at all??

In a word, no. Not yet anyway.

Anything beyond a week is subject to a lot of change but right now all the forecast models are pretty much aligned; there should be a pause of a day or two around the middle of next week... after which more snow!

It's starting to look likely that the high pressure currently over France and UK - that's effectively been blocking the cold and snow in Austria - will move away (hopefully North-West-ish) to allow it into the French Alps. So, fingers crossed, that might mean the snow keeps coming but gets spread over a wider area... kind of. Maybe! :lol:

Admin wrote:

blackpool-skier wrote:Are there any signs this snow is going to let up in the next few weeks at all??

In a word, no. Not yet anyway.

Anything beyond a week is subject to a lot of change but right now all the forecast models are pretty much aligned; there should be a pause of a day or two around the middle of next week... after which more snow!

It's starting to look likely that the high pressure currently over France and UK - that's effectively been blocking the cold and snow in Austria - will move away (hopefully North-West-ish) to allow it into the French Alps. So, fingers crossed, that might mean the snow keeps coming but gets spread over a wider area... kind of. Maybe! :lol:

Thanks Admin! I'm off to Söll on 2nd Feb, so whatever happens between now and then, the conditions should be epic!! :-D