Incredible Summer Snowfall in the Alps, snow down to 1,800 meters of altitude

The calendar suggests light clothing with shorts and a T-shirt, but if we take a look at the high-altitude webcams, it feels like the middle of winter.
(see Passo Stelvio webcam, Livigno webcam, Solda webcam, Passo Resia webcam, Presena Glacier webcam)

One week has passed since the start of summer 2014, and it already feels as though we are on the doorstep of the next winter season. No scorching heat, just autumn rain and the extraordinary return of snow at high altitude. That was the late-June scene across the entire Alpine arc, where on Sunday, June 29 the highest peaks and Alpine passes plunged into full winter weather, with temperatures near or even below freezing accompanied by snowfalls.

Summer snow at Rifugio Mantova - Monterosa

The first flakes fell on the northwestern peaks with snowfalls above 3,000 meters, blanketing ski destinations such as the Diavolezza glacier (Engadin-Switzerland) and the Monte Rosa massif (Aosta Valley-Piedmont); the snow then moved across the central and northeastern sectors of the Alps, bringing snow to the mountains of Lombardy and Trentino Alto Adige.

Standout among them is Passo Stelvio, where 20 cm of fresh snow fell both on the Glacier and at the 2,700 m elevation of the Pass. The snow pushed even lower, blanketing Livigno at 1,850 meters of altitude, where the summer hiking season has already been underway for a few weeks.

Livigno snow in summer at 1800m

Livigno Trepalle - summer snowfall on June 29

The Alpine glaciers and the frosty resort of Livigno are not the only stars of this surprising summer storm: snow also hit other tourist resorts such as Passo Resia (from 2,400 m) and Solda (from 2,500 m) in Alto Adige.

Events like this are not unique, and similar episodes occur almost every year on different dates; nevertheless, the charm of snow in summer remains unchanged and leaves us in awe of nature’s meteorological quirks.