The Alps are usually pretty good places for snow in winter. The northwest side of the Alps in particular receives large amounts of snow and the southern parts less. The east side is also slightly drier (but colder) than the west.
The record for snow cover has been measured on Mount Säntis, on the northern edge of the Alps: in April 1999, the snow depth here was 816cm. The record snowfall in 24 hours (in Switzerland) was measured at the Grimsel Hospiz and the Bernina Pass with 130cm in 24 hours. The record snowfall in a year has been recorded on the Grand Saint Bernard mountain pass in the south, which is the border with Italy. On average, over 1650 cm of snowfall is recorded per year. (note that “snowfall” is different from “snow cover”). A complete overview of Swiss records can be found via the link.
The greatest snow depths will usually not be recorded, simply because measuring stations are not everywhere – and certainly the places where the most snow falls are usually uninhabited. The measurement installations in the ski areas of Chamonix have another limitation: they are 750cm high. There have been several (recent) years where the snow depth remained “stuck” at 750cm. With such thick packs of snow, the bottom layer will settle very quickly and will not melt until late in the season.
The snowiest areas are usually found in Switzerland (Andermatt & Engelberg), France (Chamonix), Italy (Pontedilegno) and Austria (various glacier ski areas).
The reason why I register this may be different than you might suspect. I am not a winter sports fan – however, the amount of snow in winter in ski resorts is a reasonable indicator of the possibility of (early) mountaineering at the beginning of summer. The snow depths are somewhat distorted, because they are measured on the slopes and therefore also measure artificially produced snow.
With a lot of winter snow, the high passes are only passable later. With little snow, the glaciers have been stripped of their snow cover since mid-summer, making crevices clearly visible, but it is more difficult to navigate on the ice because it is harder.
Update: January 10, 2023
Snow index: 136.9 (mountain) / 41.8(valley). This is the average of the top 50 snowiest regions (Italy, France, Switzerland & Austria).
The most snow in Europe today can be found (by country) in:
Switzerland – Saas Fee(180cm).
France – Tignes (220cm)
Italy – Breuil-Cervinia (150cm).
Austria – Sölden (180cm)
Snow forecast (Jan 7. 2023)
The past weekend was rather snowy and beefed up the amount of snow in notably. The average snow depth grew by 20cm in the mountains and more than 5cm in the valleys.
This is still a clear sign of relatively high temperatures: the precipitation set in from the West in a western circulation. Usually, the most snow in the valleys is brought by a more northern wind direction.
However, the situation looks less grim for now. But it must be said: the snow cover is still small and mainly to be found at high altitudes. This will remain the case, as most of the precipitation is heading towards the east and the freezing levels are rising again beyond 2000 meters.
As a small comparison with last year: we are 25 (valley) to 40cm (summit) behind on the snow cover in the snowiest places. The largest average snow depth was measured last year at the end of February, with a 256.2cm on the summits and 93cm in the valleys.
Looking back at the season:
January 7, 2023
Snow index: 120.6 (mountain) / 35.7(valley). This is the average of the top 50 snowiest regions (Italy, France, Switzerland & Austria).
The most snow in Europe today can be found (by country) in:
Switzerland – Saas Fee(175cm).
France – Puy Saint Vincent (185cm)
Italy – Breuil-Cervinia (135cm).
Austria – Sölden (165cm)
January 5 2023:
Snow index: 119.8 (mountain) / 36(valley). This is the average of the top 50 snowiest regions (Italy, France, Switzerland & Austria).
The most snow in Europe on Jan 5 was found (by country) in:
Switzerland – Saas Fee(180cm).
France – Puy Saint Vincent (185cm)
Italy – Breuil-Cervinia (135cm).
Austria – Sölden (160cm)