Alps Snow Forecast: Up to 64 cm Headed for the High Glaciers as the Snow Line Drops

The Alps have spent most of October under mild, sunny skies, and that changes on Tuesday.

A cold front moving in from the west will push the snow line down over the next few days. SnowStash forecasts put the biggest totals on the high glaciers of Switzerland and Italy. Monterosa Ski in Italy leads our leaderboard with 64 cm over the next 14 days, and most of it arrives in the first two days.

Where the snow is forecast to fall

Monterosa Ski (3275 m) is forecast to pick up 28 cm on Tuesday 20 October and 26 cm on Wednesday 21 October. A light 1 cm follows on Friday and a further 9 cm on Sunday 25 October, before it dries out on Monday.

Blatten Belalp in Switzerland (3118 m) sits second on 55 cm. Wednesday carries 26 cm of that, with another 13 cm on Sunday. Verbier 4 Vallées (3300 m) is third on 43 cm, including 23 cm on Wednesday.

The rest of the top 11:

• Titlis Engelberg, Switzerland (3020 m): 42 cm
• Diavolezza, Switzerland (3006 m): 41 cm
• Corvatsch, Switzerland (3303 m): 38 cm
• Leukerbad, Switzerland (2610 m): 36 cm

• Val d’Isère, France: 36 cm
• Pitztal Glacier, Austria (3440 m): 35 cm
• Glacier 3000, Switzerland (3016 m): 35 cm
• Schnalstal Glacier, Italy (3212 m): 30 cm

These are upper-mountain totals across the full 14-day window, and a fair chunk of it falls after the front has passed. SnowStash forecasts are deliberately conservative, so you will see bigger numbers on some other models. We would rather under-promise on a number than have you plan a trip around a figure that does not show up.

Austria gets its turn on Wednesday

Western Alps resorts get the first hit, but this front does not stop at the Swiss border. GeoSphere Austria expects a cold front to cross from the west on Wednesday, bringing precipitation to the northern and central ranges. It forecasts 0 to 30 cm locally in the eastern Alps, with glaciers best placed to hold the new snow.

Pitztal Glacier is our highest-ranked Austrian entry on 35 cm. Glacier skiing in Austria is already under way for the season, so extra natural snow is welcome, wind permitting.

Snow line and wind

Tuesday will be a rain-or-snow story depending on height. The snow line starts around 3000 m, so most precipitation below that falls as rain, and only the highest peaks and glaciers turn properly wintry. Conditions are mild going in, with freezing levels between 3000 and 3700 m across much of Austria on Monday.

Colder air arrives from the west through Wednesday. GeoSphere Austria says the snow line on the northern side of the Alps could drop below 2000 m by Wednesday evening. Overnight into Thursday, snow below 1500 m is possible locally. That does not mean every village above that height wakes up white. The line shifts from region to region, and precipitation can ease just as the coldest air arrives.

Wind is the other factor. A strong foehn blows on the northern side ahead of the front, and GeoSphere Austria expects gusts of up to 120 km/h at around 3000 m in the eastern Alps on Wednesday. The highest peaks in the western Alps can also expect severe gusts. Glacier lifts can close temporarily in that combination of wind, poor visibility and fresh snow, so check the lift status and forecast before heading up.

The Dolomites mostly get rain

Northern Italy is in for a wet Wednesday. Meteo Trentino has warned of potentially large precipitation totals between Tuesday evening and Thursday morning. GeoSphere Austria also expects plenty of precipitation from the Sexten Dolomites eastward.

The snow line starts high there, so most of it falls as rain at lower elevations, with a fresh layer only on the highest summits. Models show smaller amounts for Cortina d’Ampezzo and Val Gardena than for the western Alps.

After Thursday

Thursday looks calmer, with the precipitation clearing and sun breaking through in many places. That should make for decent webcam images on the glaciers and highest summits where the new snow has settled.

The quiet does not last. Another disturbance is showing for Friday 23 and Saturday 24 October, mostly affecting France and Italy, with snow possible from around 1600 to 2000 m. Reliability is limited at this range. Blatten Belalp and Verbier each have 7 cm pencilled in for Friday in our data, and both come back for more on Sunday, with 13 cm and 7 cm respectively.