Particularly severe weather is expected in northern Italy, the borders with Austria and Switzerland, and in southern Germany. It rained heavily yesterday and will continue to rain for the next 48 hours, said meteorologist Philippe Schambergen of Buyinradar. “What falls here in half a year can fall there in three days.”
For comparison: during the severe weather that Norway witnessed at the beginning of this month, 150 mm fell within 48 hours. “We are worried that we will also see floods and landslides in the Alps. The difference is that a lot of snow has melted there as well due to the warmer temperatures in the country.”
Mudslides
Now they used to get heavy rains in the Alps, but they usually come later in the year. “In autumn and winter, it often falls 100 millimeters, but then a large part of the precipitation falls as snow. Now there is some snow in the peaks, but it is mainly water. As a result, the risk of mudslides and floods is high.” Bigger,” Shambergen explains.
The showers are caused by the extremely low pressure area in the area. The Alps form the dividing line between cold air from northern Europe and warm air from Italy, where it was very hot last week. “A few days ago it was 40 degrees in Milan, but it’s cooling down very quickly. It’s expected to be 20 degrees on Monday. There will also be heavy rain in Milan and Turin.”
local differences
Chambergen advises tourists to closely monitor the local media because the weather can vary greatly from one place to another. “In one mountain valley it can fall 300mm, while in the next it’s not so bad. Be vigilant and anyway don’t pitch your tent near a creek or river, because that can easily turn into a swirling mass.”
These weather maps clearly show the line between cold and warm air:
Because of the low pressure area, strong winds and gusts are expected in Corsica and southern France. “Winds can be up to 7 and gusts between 75 and 90 kph on the coast. In the mountains, I wouldn’t rule out even gusts of 100 kph. The peak will be Monday afternoon, but the wind will continue. It won’t really go down.” Until Thursday.”
Will be better
After Monday, the weather in the Alpine region will calm down a bit, says Shambergen. “The low pressure area then moves towards the Balkans. This could cause some problems on the coast of Croatia, but since there are no such high mountains there, it will be less extreme than in the Alps.”
The meteorologist has good news for those on holiday in southern Europe next week. “This is a cold interlude for a while, but the warmth returns quickly.”