At the start of the week a front provides periodic snowfall on the northwest and north side of the Alps. At the same time the Alps lie deep in intense cold air. At 2000 meters it can easily freeze at 10 degrees during the day. At 3000 meters the mercury does not exceed -20 degrees C. The strong wind makes it even colder.
It is snowing persistently light, in the French and Swiss high alps at times moderate to strong. I expect on average between 5 and 15 cm. In the northern Savoie and the western Bernese and Glarus Alps 20 to 30cm. T
The weather is somewhat friendlier on the south side. Here the air flows dry over the main ridge into the valleys. For this geographic side, this means Hohn clearings. There is quite a bit of wind!
Temperatures are on the rise around the middle of the week. The Azores high moves a bit more towards southwestern Europe. On the northern flank of the high-pressure area, a portion of softer air flows into western and central Europe. This will eventually lead to a somewhat higher snowfall limit. About 1800 meters. This also means some rain for the lower lying areas. In the Inner Alpines the cold heavier air can maintain itself locally. The snowfall limit is probably somewhat lower in these areas. During the front passages, precipitation also reaches the south side of the Alps this time.
Towards Friday, the storm in the mountains will likely increase even further. Snowfall is persistent and intense, with the snowfall line dropiing below 1500m again. Also on Saturday and Sunday ¨.wet and stormy, especially in the north
All in all, we can easily expect a meter of snow on the northwest side until the weekend. In the northern Savoie maybe even 1.5 meters. Trois Vallees and Espace Killy are expecting 1.6m to 1.8m.