Bavarian Alps see record dry spells over winter as snowfall declines
The Bavarian Alps were hit by an unusually dry spell this German winter, breaking records for the lowest snowfall recorded in several areas, meteorologists said on Tuesday.
At Germany's highest ski area on the Zugspitze - the country's highest mountain - the maximum recorded snowfall in the winter of 2024-2025 was below the previous low of 1971-1972.
The figures were revealed in a joint report by the German Weather Service, GeoSphere Austria and Switzerland's Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss).
According to environmental organizations, the Alpine region has been hit particularly hard by the climate crisis, having warmed significantly more than the global average since the late 19th century.
Despite a decent start to the season with abundant snow in late November and early December, the Bavarian Alps saw the driest winter for more than 90 years, the meteorologists said.
Only 470 litres of precipitation per square metre were measured, close to the 400 litres recorded in 1933-1934.
Instead of rain and snow, there were unusually high hours of sunshine in the central and eastern Alps this winter due to the influence of high pressure.
In addition, it was around 2 degrees Celsius warmer than the long-term average at summit locations.
Further west in Switzerland, the situation was less dramatic with regard to the drought, according to the institutes. In the Bernese and Valais Alps, "overall precipitation and snow conditions were at least average."
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