# Heavy Snowfall Europe - 7 to 11 March 2010

## Print Version

## Chapter I: Introduction

### Table of Contents

- Chapter I: Introduction
- Introduction

### Introduction

A special challenge for today's NWPs and the forecasters are atmospheric conditions with cut off upper level lows. It is very difficult to forecast the further track direction and the evolution of such systems. By now today's NWP´s are relative good but small errors can have big impacts for some regions and end-users. This case-study describes the development, the difficulties in the forecasts and the impacts of such a system between 7 and 12 March 2010. Especially 5b tracks, or like in this case similar 5b, can have big impacts for Austria but are very hard to predict exactly. The intensity of the snowfall and the snowline is still not easy to forecast.

An upper level cold core low depresses due to heavy cold air advection backside of the trough over the Iberian Peninsula. Heavy Snowfall in the Mediterranean area and in the following days in Austria and East Europe was the result of a intense cyclogenesis over the relatively warm Mediterranean sea.

In addition to the heavy snowfall a very strong Bora established in the east Adriatic coast due to the great temperature and pressure gradient over the Dinaric coastal mountain. As a result of the very strong wind even some infrastructure was damaged in this area.