Early snowfall in the Alps

Not just in the Alps! http://www.thelocal.de/national

Snow caused a massive 18-car pileup on the A20 motorway east of Lübeck on Tuesday morning, as the first wintry weather of the season hit broad swaths of Germany.

The huge accident occurred near Bobitz in northwestern Mecklenburg and forced the closure of the autobahn heading towards Lübeck, police reported. Five cars were involved in another wreck going the other direction, but authorities were able to divert traffic around it.

“It's absolute chaos,” said a spokesman for the autobahn police in nearby Wismar.

He said the motorists, two of whom suffered minor injuries, were unprepared for the slippery driving conditions.

Early in the morning, the German Weather Service (DWD) had forecast that many parts of the country would see the first signs of winter on Tuesday, with the snowfall limit dropping to lower elevations.

Four centimetres of snow fell upon the Brocken, the highest mountain in northern Germany and the white stuff also covered the Fichtelberg in the state of Saxony.

Snow is also likely in the Alps and low mountain ranges in the south and east of the country as Arctic air sweeps through the country with frosty temperatures, the DWD said.

“During the day with highs of three to seven degrees Celsius, one will need a thick jacket, though gloves and hat are optional,” meteorologist Jens Hoffmann said from the DWD headquarters in Offenbach.

Current chilly temperatures will likely stick around until the weekend, but they won’t be cold enough to allow for heavy snowfall, he added.

Further proof (if anyone needed proof) that Northern and Western Europe are not good destinations for Californians seeking mild weather locations for outdoor activities in November - February (since this is only October).

I was hiking in a t shirt and shorts in the Swiss Alps just the other day! We had lovely 70+ degree weather last week. But it IS time for the snow to start falling--it's snowed here in the mountains of WA state, and the Colorado ski resorts are starting to open, so it's time for the snow to start piling up in the Alps, too.

Likewise, the Canadian Rockies outside of Calgary are getting snowed on as well.

Getting to work this morning was a challenge.

We had snow here in Madison on Sunday. Skiers were rejoicing. The rest of use were huddling inside waiting for it to melt! Minneapolis got measurable amounts. As my friend from the twin cities put it, there is just something wrong when snow comes before the leaves are off the trees! Pam

Let's see. It's supposed to be 84 degrees here in north Texas today!

Jon,

my friend left Calgary 2 weeks ago in 30 C weather and returned in the middle of a snow storm ...

As for Germany, it does snow most winters even in the Northern parts far away from the Alps. But it rarely sticks around for more than a day or two. Exceptions prove the rule. We own half a dozen snow shovels, most of my family members in Germany have none.

Did anybody catch the Patriots game in Foxboro today? Looked like December 18th, not October 18th. While they were playing in the snow there, we were getting our share in New Hampshire too! Gonna be a long winter, but that's OK with me.