This first Sunday of February saw the return of rain to the Alps below 1,500 meters, but starting tonight the snow line will drop back down to 1,000-1,200 meters.
A brief respite, just enough to get one’s bearings, because in the Alps the scenery is fabulous from a landscape standpoint, yet exceedingly difficult for residents and anyone traveling on mountain roads.
It feels like being inside the movie “The Day After Tomorrow”: the main villages of the north-eastern Alps are buried under 2 meters of snow, and the squares of Cortina, San Martino di Castrozza, Madonna di Campiglio (and many others) are carved by corridors of snow through which tourists make their way to reach hotels, apartments, restaurants, and shops.
Lifts and slopes are closed in many resorts, with the avalanche danger at level 5, the highest on the scale.
Many roads and mountain passes are closed both due to avalanche danger and because snowplows themselves are struggling to keep certain areas of the Dolomites clear, where snowfall rates of 15 cm per hour have been recorded.
While at first this weather system was warmly welcomed, many are now hoping it will move on, at least temporarily. Alongside road traffic problems, other hazards have emerged, such as the risk of roofs collapsing under the weight of the snow, as well as several power blackouts and mobile phone communication disruptions.
An extremely challenging situation that in Veneto has required the deployment of the army to help residents shovel snow and above all deliver essential supplies (especially fuel) to towns cut off by the snow.
Alongside the army, of course, are the Fire Brigade and all law enforcement agencies, not to mention all the volunteers and citizens united in tackling this snow emergency.
Heavy snowfalls until Wednesday
The Big Snow will not leave us so easily: heavy snowfalls are forecast through Wednesday, with the snow line dropping even further (flakes down to 800 m).
Until mid-week, the Alps will have to continue dealing with this snow emergency.
As for the aftermath of the snow, attention certainly turns to the meters of snow that have fallen in recent hours: 6 meters of snow are measured on the Marmolada, 5 meters on the Presena Glacier and at Sella Nevea, and 4 meters in Madesimo and San Martino di Castrozza.
So much snow has fallen that the 2008/09 winter record now seems matched, with every chance of surpassing it.
Snow report: Resorts with the most Snow
Recommended links:
» SNOW REPORT
» SNOW WEBCAMS
» SNOW FORECAST
Heavy Snowfall Video in San Martino di Castrozza
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