Passo Gardena in Italy’s Dolomites, June 11.
June Snow Returns To The Alps
High Alpine passes have slipped back toward winter.
On June 11, Passo Gardena in Italy’s Dolomites was under a fresh white dusting at around 2,000 m (6,560 ft). Local forecasts had the pass down to -2C (28.4F), with temperatures at 3,000 m (9,840 ft) around -4C (24.8F).
At Passo dello Stelvio, snow totaling 23 cm (9.1 in) has been reported, with the Stelvio glacier down to -8C (17.6F).
Switzerland saw the same pattern.
Swiss lowland highs were held to 16C (60.8F), with the central and eastern Alps seeing a few centimeters below 2,000 m.
Austria’s high Alps were also below freezing.
Brunnenkogel dropped to -6.8C (19.8F), Valluga to -4C (24.8F), and the Pitztal Glacier to -2.6C (27.3F). Forecasts also pointed to stronger snowfall in the Hohe Tauern, with temperatures around -4C (24.8F) at 3,000 m.
France caught the broader cold edge.
Meteo-France reported anomalously chilly air across the majority of the country, with up high notching -25C (-13F) – at around 5,000 m (16,404 ft). Lower down, Hauts-de-France was described as autumnal, with maximums struggling to 15C (59F).
The heat will return. That is how weather works. But this bitterly cold first third of June (across much of Europe) is going unreported.
Oregon’s June Frost
Summer chills are gripping the inland Northwest.
On June 11, Baker City fell to 25F (-3.9C), breaking the old daily low of 31F (-0.6C) in records back to 1928.
Burns dropped to 27F (-2.8C), beating its old June 11 mark of 30F (-1.1C) in books to 1938.
The cold crossed into Idaho, too, with Pocatello posting 32F (0C), breaking its low in data to 1939.
