Fans of winter sports are in for some good news. The winter fun season can be considered open. The French and Italian Alps are already waiting for those wishing to go skiing and snowboarding. Heavy snowfalls have prepared conditions for travellers who love mountain walks and skiing. And forecasters promise a lot of snow and comfortable weather in the Alps this winter.
Experts say that thanks to El Niño (‘warm phase’ of climatological phenomenon known as El Niño Southern Oscillation), which affects the temperature regime and weather in Europe, winter is expected to be snowy and quite cold. In summer, El Niño caused a heat wave that led to environmental problems in the form of forest fires affecting Greece and France. And in winter, thanks to El Niño, pleasant weather and good snowfalls are expected in the European Alps.
Already now the resorts of Chamonix, Tignes, La Plagne and Val Thorens are covered with a blanket of snow, and in the western Swiss Alps, Verbier and the extreme north-west of the Italian Alps 40 to 60 cm of fresh snow has fallen, which offers excellent conditions for ski holidays. The Bureau of Meteorology, commenting on the upcoming season, writes: ‘El Niño is generally mild, with a wet western start to winter and a colder and drier end to winter over much of northern Europe.