Warm front to melt fresh snow at Swiss ski resorts

Snowshoes in action in French-speaking Villars in canton Vaud © KEYSTONE / JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT

This week, the Alps got up to 50 centimetres of fresh snow. But on Friday, a warm front will melt much of it – spoiling weekend plans for many skiers and snowboarders. 

After enjoying a white Christmas and additional snowfalls earlier this week, ski resorts like Wengen and Grindelwald in the Bernese Oberland can expect temperatures of up to 10°C (50°F) on Sunday.

So by the end of the weekend, the scenery won’t look quite as much like a winter wonderland as it does in this tweet from Wengen Tourism.

What a nice view tonight in Wengen. #InLoveWithSwitzerlandExternal link #wengenExternal link #NightskyExternal link pic.twitter.com/OO8m4DrdDYExternal link

— Wengen Switzerland (@WengenSwiss) December 26, 2017External link

Even typically mild Ticino, Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton south of the Alps, got a generous dumping of snow. Airolo, pictured below, can expect more snow throughout Saturday.

Hard work clearing the tracks in Airolo in southern Switzerland Andreas Hostettler/MeteoSwiss

According to national weather service MeteoSwissExternal link, the snowline is expected to rise to the 2,000-metre mark but will drop back down to an altitude of 1,000 metres above sea level by the new year.

Swiss weather is known for its changeability and its vast range of moods across a landscape bisected by the Alps.

A sense of foreboding above Lake Lucerne in central Switzerland © KEYSTONE / GAETAN BALLY