At the end of December, a wave of winter weather will hit Europe, bringing intense snowfall across the entire continent. According to meteorologists from the portal more snow may fall in the coming weeks than in recent years. Significantly colder air will reach large areas of Europe, causing the return of true, full-blown winter.
Cold air will be accompanied by the frequent passage of frontal systems, which will bring not only a significant drop in temperatures, but also more frequent precipitation. In many areas, these will manifest as snow, thanks to which after a long time a snow cover will form again across Europe. December brought a below-average amount of snow in most of Europe, which in recent years has usually only been sustained in higher mountain areas. At the beginning of January, however, the situation may change fundamentally.
The most extensive snowfall in recent years
According to the latest numerical models, the snow cover this year could exceed the average of recent years and this is probably the most extensive snowfall in Europe in the last 7 to 10 years. This scenario is confirmed by all major global forecast models, which predict a significant spread of snow even in regions where it was rare in recent winters.
Snow is expected not only in Central and Eastern Europe, but also in a large part of Turkey, as well as in the mountainous regions of Italy and Spain. The increase in the height of the snow, as well as its extensive coverage of the territory, will not be exceptional. Paradoxically, in the more northern parts of Europe, especially in Scandinavia and vast areas of Russia, snow cover should continue to remain below average compared to the long-term average.
Up to 20 cm of snow is expected to fall in Slovakia
In Slovakia, the formation of a snow cover is expected on most of the territory, while its height will depend on the altitude and location. Around 20-50 cm of snow can be added in the mountainous areas by next Sunday, 10-20 cm in the middle areas and from a light dusting to around 10 cm in the lowlands.
At the same time, the weather next week will be quite windy, which will cause an uneven distribution of precipitation. Snowfall will be more pronounced on the windward sides of the mountains, while it will remain significantly weaker in the lee of the mountain massifs and in the lowlands. Winter will show its strength, but its manifestations will be quite uneven. Therefore, the amount of snow in different regions of Slovakia can still change.
