Snow in Alps Raises Avalanche Risk, While High Winds Hit Spain

This content was published on December 23, 2024 - 10:01

2 minutes

(Bloomberg) — Snow blanketed parts of the Alps in the lead-up to Christmas, while windy conditions triggered weather alerts elsewhere in Europe.

Ski resorts including Chamonix in France and Verbier in Switzerland are facing high avalanche risks, and yellow warnings for snow and ice are in place across swaths of the Alps. Forecaster MeteoSuisse said as much as a meter of snow may fall in high-altitude areas on Monday.

Elsewhere in Europe, strong winds affected a number of countries.

In Spain, warnings are in force for the Balearic Islands and areas near Barcelona, with gusts of up to 100 kilometers (60 miles) an hour whipping up high waves, according to forecaster Aemet. Orange wind warnings also cover large parts of Germany.

For most of Europe, temperatures are expected to be relatively mild over the Christmas period. That should ease pressure on natural gas reserves after several cold snaps drove up withdrawals. Yet calmer weather toward the end of this week may curtail wind-power generation in large markets such as Germany, meaning gas-fired plants will still be needed to meet demand.

London will see lows of 10C (50F) on Wednesday, according to the Met Office. In Berlin, mean temperatures may be as high as 6C that day, above the seasonal norm, Weather Services International data show.

Parts of southern Europe, especially Italy, may see cooler-than-normal weather. In Rome, the mean temperature is forecast to drop as low as 6C on Monday, 4 degrees below the 30-year norm, according to WSI.

–With assistance from Lars Paulsson.