18 inches of fresh snow falls in the Alps in peak summer time

A snow reporting agency issued two powder alarms for heavy snowfall in the Alps yesterday. The company, which tracks snowfall in over 2,000 ski centres in the northern hemisphere year round issues a powder alarm when a ski area reports at least 20cm (eight inches) of snow falling in 24 hours – and that usually happens between late autumn and early Spring, not in mid-Summer.

However today the Swiss resort off Saas Fee, one of ten glacier ski areas currently open for snow sports on its glacier, has reported a huge 45cm (18 inch) snowfall, leading to powder snow conditions in mid-August.

Its neighbour Zermatt, which is open year-round and has the highest ski lifts in Europe, has also had a big snowfall but hasn’t published the figures. However the Italian ski area of Cervinia to which it is lift linked has reported 20cm (eight inches) of fresh snow.

Seven other glaciers are currently open for snow sports in Europe, including two more in Italy, three in Austria and Les 2 Alpes and Tignes in France – most have had some fresh snow in the past 24 hours, or in recent weeks.

However it hasd been a hot summer on Europe’s glaciers too and the Kitzsteinhorn glacier above Kaprun had to close temporarily last week when its snow cover became unexpectedly thin as warm temperatures melted the snow even on top of the glacier.