This mid-October storm system has left behind a picture-perfect winter postcard, blanketing the entire Alpine arc and, for the first time this season, the Apennines as well.
The sun is shining again at many resorts, but until just a few hours ago gentle snowflakes were falling to remind us that winter is on its way and that it is time to start thinking about snow and the upcoming ski season.
At high altitude, snow has already been right at home for several weeks, and as soon as the first clouds arrived, snowfalls blanketed all the glaciers from Valle d’Aosta to Trentino; yesterday, however, the snow line dropped all the way to 1,400 meters, draping mid-altitude resorts such as Arabba, Santa Caterina Valfurva, Madonna di Campiglio, and many others in a white coat…
Accumulations ranged from 5 to 10 cm around 1,500 meters, while above 2,500 meters over half a meter of fresh snow was recorded in several areas, with flakes even falling briefly down to 1,000 meters.
Snow fell from west to east with no region left out, including snow in the Apennines: the first snowfall of the season dusted Abetone, Doganaccia, Monte Cimone, and Cerreto Laghi, while Central Italy saw a few high-altitude flurries on the peaks of the Abruzzo resorts.
Lift openings
The snow blanketing the Alpine valleys is a reminder that the ski season is about to begin: following the opening of Val Senales, another South Tyrolean ski resort is getting ready to open its doors—Solda all’Ortles, which will kick off its ski season on Saturday, October 24 with the opening of the upper section of the ski area.
Here, fresh snow is approaching half a meter and cold temperatures have allowed crews to fire up the snow guns and complete slope preparation with artificial snowmaking.
Below are snapshots from several of the main webcams:
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