Ground "sugared up"

After the first snow comes a change in the weather

The Zwieselalm valley station was covered in snow in the morning, but by lunchtime it was all gone.

(Bild: Bergfex)

When looking out of the window on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning, many people could hardly believe their eyes - it was snowing outside. It wasn't much, but large parts of the country were covered in snow. But even on the mountains, only a little of the white splendor remained.

 "One to two centimetres of snow has fallen on the mountains. But you can't call it a blanket of snow yet. It's still too early for winter in the lowlands anyway," says Alexander Ohms, meteorologist at GeoSphere Austria.

No further precipitation
The snow has melted quickly, especially on the sunny slopes. While there was still a hint of a winter wonderland at the Zwieselalm valley station at an altitude of 820 meters shortly after 9 a.m., everything was green again by lunchtime. There will be no more precipitation in the coming days.

Sunny in the mountains
"We can expect calm, high-pressure weather throughout the weekend. There will be a lot of fog again in the lowlands. But it will be bright and beautiful in the mountains and even at 1500 to 2000 meters there will be plus degrees again, it will be up to 15 degrees warmer compared to Thursday," predicts the weather expert. As a result, the ski resorts will no longer be able to use their snow cannons.

Change in the weather
At least temporarily, because a change in the weather could sweep through the country from Tuesday. "It will be wet, cold and windy. On the mountains above 800 to 1000 meters above sea level, a thicker blanket of snow may form and become wintry," says Ohms.