This 2014/15 winter has been a difficult one for the Italian mountains, with very few snowfalls (the last noteworthy snowfall dates back to the Christmas holidays) and fluctuating temperatures with thermal inversion spoiling the party all too often.
Forbidding snow conditions have stalled the take-off of the ski season, which got underway solely with the help of artificial snowmaking systems operating 24 hours a day across the Alpine arc.
If “it can’t rain all the time”, we snow lovers say “it can’t be sunny forever”; so here we are rewarded with a weather front that starting Friday, January 16 will transform the face of the Italian Alps, bringing back the much-desired and much-needed SNOW.
A weather system is arriving from the North Atlantic that will bring bad weather to northern Italy, hitting the Alps head-on with snowfalls across all ski resorts, from west to east.
The first flakes will begin to fall on Thursday with light but widespread snowfalls and a snow line at 800-1,200 meters.
Friday the 16th will be the day of snow, with the North Atlantic storm ready to dump heavy snowfalls on the Alps, particularly across the Prealps, Ossola, Orobie Alps, Trentino, Dolomites, and the Tarvisio area. On this day as well, the snow line will range between 800 and 1,200 meters of altitude, rising towards the end of the day with snow climbing to 1,200-1,500 m.
Snowfalls will also continue through Saturday and Sunday, with varying accumulations from resort to resort.
This storm will bring significant snowfalls, with accumulations that in some high-altitude resorts (e.g. Livigno, Madesimo, Adamello) will reach one meter in depth; at medium altitudes around 50 cm of snow are expected, while in the valleys (1,200-1,500 m) around 20-30 cm of snow are forecast.
With just 30 cm of snow, Italian ski resorts could get back into full swing, relaunching the ski season and facing the peak ski holiday weeks without fear.
All that remains is to wait confidently, keeping our eyes on the snow forecast, the snow report, and the live webcams.
Happy snow to everyone!
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