It can snow any month of the year here in Montana, but what's going on in Europe right now is historic. Many higher elevations in the Alps have been buried under three to five feet of snow. Like Montana, while snow in the Alps this time of year is not uncommon, this amount of snow in September is rare and record-breaking.
Even some of the valleys in Austria are dealing with two to three feet of snow. Toward the ski areas, some of the settled snow depth is greater than 5 feet, indicating that the snow totals were even higher.
A strong north flow across Europe has created their version of a pineapple express. Moisture from the North Atlantic hit the Alps similar to moisture streaming in from the Pacific and slamming into the cascades or Sierra Nevada, where snow totals can reach many feet more frequently.
Not all snow, this storm has created equally historic flooding with dams bursting, power knocked out, and it was responsible for at least 18 deaths. As this snow melts, more flooding is likely.
