Winter sweeps into Swiss mountains with fresh snow
It may still officially be autumn, but winter has arrived in the Swiss mountains.
A cold front on Monday brought rain, cooler temperatures and snow to Switzerland.
Communities located in higher altitude areas may have woken up on Tuesday to a blanket of snow on the ground. During the night the snow line, a boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface, dropped further to around 1,500 meters.
Meanwhile, there was persistent rainfall, particularly in the canton of Graubünden. Locally in this area there is around 15 centimetres of fresh snow above 2,000 meters.
The winter weather has impacted roads in the mountains. Several Alpine passes are currently closed or can only be accessed by vehicles with snow chains on their wheels. Those affected include the passes Bernina, Flüela, Furka, Grimsel, Nufenen, Susten and Umbrail.
Passes covered with snow but still open are Albula (snow chains required, except for four-wheel drive vehicles), Julier, Lukmanier, Maloja, Oberalp and Ofen.
READ ALSO: Driving in Switzerland - when should you change to winter tyres?
The Touring Club Suisse (TCS), a Swiss association representing the interests of drivers, has warned of snow covering several roads in the Engadin region.
MeteoSchweiz posted on X, previously Twitter, that a "winter greeting" had arrived in Switzerland at the end of the month.
"In Graubünden, the snowfall limit locally fell to 1,200 meters overnight," said MeteoSchweiz. "There was a good amount of fresh snow at higher altitudes, especially in the eastern Alps." They posted a graphic showing the snow analysis over the last day.
Ein #Wintergruss zum Monatsende. In Graubünden ist die #Schneefallgrenze in der Nacht lokal auf 1200 Meter gesunken. Vor allem in den östlichen Alpen gab es in den höheren Lagen eine ordentliche Ladung #Neuschnee.
Neuschnee-Analyse über die letzten 24 Stunden: pic.twitter.com/1TLw1kRY4e
— MeteoSchweiz (@meteoschweiz) October 31, 2023
On Tuesday, the weather is expected to remain changeable with a few, dry sunny spells in the morning and some rain in the afternoon. The snow line is likely to settle at 1,700 meters above sea level.
After a mostly dry Wednesday, it is expected to be rainy on Thursday across the board, with temperatures dropping to around 10C in the north. Snowfall is expected again at higher altitudes. It will likely continue to be cold and wet on Friday and at the weekend, according to current forecasts.
READ ALSO: When should I turn on my heating in Switzerland this year?
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A cold front on Monday brought rain, cooler temperatures and snow to Switzerland.
Communities located in higher altitude areas may have woken up on Tuesday to a blanket of snow on the ground. During the night the snow line, a boundary between a snow-covered and snow-free surface, dropped further to around 1,500 meters.
Meanwhile, there was persistent rainfall, particularly in the canton of Graubünden. Locally in this area there is around 15 centimetres of fresh snow above 2,000 meters.
The winter weather has impacted roads in the mountains. Several Alpine passes are currently closed or can only be accessed by vehicles with snow chains on their wheels. Those affected include the passes Bernina, Flüela, Furka, Grimsel, Nufenen, Susten and Umbrail.
Passes covered with snow but still open are Albula (snow chains required, except for four-wheel drive vehicles), Julier, Lukmanier, Maloja, Oberalp and Ofen.
READ ALSO: Driving in Switzerland - when should you change to winter tyres?
The Touring Club Suisse (TCS), a Swiss association representing the interests of drivers, has warned of snow covering several roads in the Engadin region.
MeteoSchweiz posted on X, previously Twitter, that a "winter greeting" had arrived in Switzerland at the end of the month.
"In Graubünden, the snowfall limit locally fell to 1,200 meters overnight," said MeteoSchweiz. "There was a good amount of fresh snow at higher altitudes, especially in the eastern Alps." They posted a graphic showing the snow analysis over the last day.
Ein #Wintergruss zum Monatsende. In Graubünden ist die #Schneefallgrenze in der Nacht lokal auf 1200 Meter gesunken. Vor allem in den östlichen Alpen gab es in den höheren Lagen eine ordentliche Ladung #Neuschnee.
— MeteoSchweiz (@meteoschweiz) October 31, 2023
Neuschnee-Analyse über die letzten 24 Stunden: pic.twitter.com/1TLw1kRY4e
On Tuesday, the weather is expected to remain changeable with a few, dry sunny spells in the morning and some rain in the afternoon. The snow line is likely to settle at 1,700 meters above sea level.
After a mostly dry Wednesday, it is expected to be rainy on Thursday across the board, with temperatures dropping to around 10C in the north. Snowfall is expected again at higher altitudes. It will likely continue to be cold and wet on Friday and at the weekend, according to current forecasts.
READ ALSO: When should I turn on my heating in Switzerland this year?
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