The drop in temperature over the last few days, caused by a mass of cold air from the Balkans, has brought temperatures down throughout Italy, giving the ski resorts a taste of winter.
Morning frosts at low altitude and intense cold even in the middle of the day have prompted some ski areas to switch on their snowmaking systems well ahead of time. A taste of winter that will now become even more tangible thanks to a weather front that will sweep across the Alps in the coming hours, bringing snow at 1,200 m, with snowfall even at 800 m in the north-east.
The first snowflakes will begin to fall during the night between Wednesday the 19th and Thursday the 20th, with snowfall not dropping below 1,600 m. During the early hours of Thursday, temperatures will start to fall rapidly and the situation will change quickly, bringing widespread snowfall at lower altitudes too, especially in the north-east, where snow could make an appearance even at 800 m (Tarvisio area).
The snowfall will be very uneven; the regions most affected will be Trentino Alto Adige, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia, and above all the border areas (in the north-west too). A special feature of this weather front is that it could also bring snow to the Apennines at 1,400-1,600 m, especially in the Pistoia Apennines.
After Thursday’s snowfall the sun is expected to return, but with temperatures below the seasonal average. Good news for the ski areas getting ready to kick off the season, such as St. Moritz, which has scheduled its opening for October 22, and Cervinia, which will open the season on the 29th.
Everything is ready, the 2011/2012 season can begin!
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