After the first snowfall, Hoch “Stefan” is once again ensuring pleasant temperatures: until Friday, the sunny Indian summer will really get going. At the weekend it can get uncomfortable again, says ntv weather expert Björn Alexander.
Winter has come to the Alps for the first time with snowfall and a snow cover of up to 1500 meters, in the Allgäu up to 1200 meters. There is now 60 centimeters of snow on the Zugspitze. In Balderschwang in the Allgäu (1,037 meters above sea level), 128 liters per square meter have accumulated over the last three days, and the rain temporarily turned to snow here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the influx of cold, damp polar air has now peaked and things are slowly picking up. Because in the next few days the influence of high “Stefan” over the Atlantic will increase. The Indian summer is gradually catching on here, even if the temperatures only rise hesitantly. Especially on the partly foggy, partly clear nights it gets quite fresh with lows of often only 10 to 4 degrees.
Monday night: Wintry in the higher elevations
During the night a band of rain reaches the south. Then another 10 to 20 centimeters of fresh snow can be expected in the Alps above about 1500 meters, with corresponding wintry conditions. And the rest of the country is also changing with showers and loosening up as well as a partly brisk wind. In addition, it cools down to 10 to 4 degrees, on the North Sea to 12 degrees.
Monday: Kind and decreasing wind
From the Eifel to the Black Forest and Lake Constance, the new weather week begins mostly dry and at times sunny. Otherwise we can expect a mix of sunny sections and partly thundery cool showers – the north gets the most sun between the showers. The wind lets up here; but it remains cool with a maximum of 10 to 17 degrees.
Tuesday: Shared prospects
High “Stefan” is gradually warming up and pushing the showers further and further to the east, while the west can increasingly look forward to the sun. The temperatures also jumped up a bit and acknowledged the weather improvement with 11 to 18 degrees.
Wednesday to Friday: Indian summer is in full swing
Golden times are upon us for friends of the Indian summer. Because after the dissolution of fog fields, which are reflected in the form of dew on meadows and bushes and the cobwebs, it is sunny and dry at times. There is most sun in the south. More clouds and some rain are only possible on Friday afternoon in the extreme north-west. It is slowly getting warmer with 13 to 19 degrees, around 20 degrees on the Rhine, in Freiburg and on the Kaiserstuhl even up to 22 or 23 degrees. Incidentally, Friday is the beginning of autumn on the calendar, which we will then feel at the weekend in terms of weather.
Weekend Weather: Lows getting more intrusive
The uncertainties are still great, but the trend towards the influence of low pressure is currently predominant in the weather computers. This should make it more unstable and wetter from the west. For the time being, however, it is still rather mild with daily highs between 14 and 20 degrees.
Late and Indian summer – what’s the difference?
Late summer can grace us until mid-September. After that, until around mid-October, we can experience Indian summer more if the weather is high. Due to the dwindling power of the sun and the shorter days, temperatures of over 25 degrees are becoming increasingly unlikely. In addition, the nights often come with fog and cool temperatures.
Originally, however, it had little or nothing to do with old women – as one might think. The word part “women” has its roots in the word “weiben” from Old High German. And that used to mean “weave”. So the weaving of the cobwebs, which the morning dew makes appear visibly gray. It was only later that further interpretations were added, which then had something to do with older women with silver or gray hair or the aging of summer.
(This article was first published on Sunday, September 18, 2022.)
