After temperature records were smashed across Switzerland on New Year’s Day, and ski resorts struggled to keep themselves open without any natural snow, MeteoSuisse has revealed that winter may be about to start anew - at least for a little while. The organisation forecast heavy snowfall for areas of the mountains between January 9 and 10, with the snowline falling to 600 metres above sea level.
It is safe to say that the weather in the last few weeks has been tough on Switzerland’s alpine resorts. After arctic temperatures in early December brought with them promises of a good season for skiers and snowboarders, the last few weeks have been awash with record-breaking temperatures and no snow.
Many resorts like Adelboden have been forced to use snow cannons to compensate for the lack of snow. The high temperatures, which have already brought an early start to hay fever season in Switzerland, have led to scenes of skiers hurtling down thin ribbons of white artificial snow amid a sea of green grass.
Thankfully, this may be about to change, with meteorologists forecasting fresh natural snow in Switzerland over the next week. MeteoSuisse, the official forecaster for the Swiss government, predicted that the snowline would fall to between 600 and 800 metres above sea level by January 10.
The majority of the snow will fall in the Swiss cantons of Graubünden and Valais, where up to 40 centimetres of fresh snow is expected at altitudes above 1.200 metres, and up to 70 centimetres above 1.600 metres. This means that many of the top ski resorts like Davos, St. Moritz and Saas-Fee will receive a huge helping of much-needed natural snow.
However, MeteoSuisse noted that this new flurry of snow will not last for long, with warmer temperatures set to arrive in the alpine nation on Wednesday. The snowline is expected to rise back up to between 1.200 and 1.500 metres by January 11, and by the end of the week, most of the snow below 1.600 metres will have melted.