Overview

• Snow depths north of the Alpine main ridge were 55 percent below average and 70 percent lower south of the range with multiple stations setting new minima
• Germany’s highest ski area at the Zugspitze registered a maximum snow depth barely one third of reference levels and its lowest reading since 1971/72
• Precipitation in the Bavarian Alpine region fell to about 470 liters per square meter, making it the second driest winter since 1933/34
• The number of snow-cover days across the Alps was 10 to 40 percent below long-term averages
• Persistent high-pressure systems and frequent inversion layers brought unusually sunny conditions and warmer summit temperatures