A mix of extreme weather conditions is impacting Europe in the days leading up to Christmas, with heavy snowfall in the Alps and strong winds affecting other regions, Bloomberg reports.
Several popular ski resorts in the Alps, including Chamonix in France and Verbier in Switzerland, are facing high avalanche risks. Yellow weather warnings for snow and ice have been issued across large sections of the mountain range. MeteoSuisse, the Swiss weather service, has forecast that up to one meter of snow may accumulate in high-altitude areas on Monday.
Beyond the Alps, strong winds are causing disruption across Europe. In Spain, warnings are in place for the Balearic Islands and regions near Barcelona. Gusts of up to 60 miles per hour are expected, resulting in high waves along the coastline, according to forecaster Aemet. Orange wind warnings are also in effect for significant parts of Germany.
Despite the localized extreme conditions, much of Europe is predicted to experience relatively mild temperatures over the Christmas period. This milder weather is expected to reduce the strain on natural gas reserves, which had been under pressure following several recent cold spells. However, the forecast of calmer weather later in the week may lead to decreased wind-power generation, requiring increased reliance on gas-fired plants in countries like Germany to meet energy demands.
The Met Office forecasts that London will see low temperatures of 10°C (50°F) on Wednesday. Similarly, in Berlin, the mean temperature could reach 6°C on the same day, which is above the seasonal average, according to data from Weather Services International (WSI).
In contrast, parts of southern Europe, particularly Italy, are expected to experience cooler-than-normal weather. Rome, for instance, is forecast to see a mean temperature as low as 6°C on Monday, which is 4 degrees below the 30-year average, according to WSI.
