A depression close to Corsica will spark a current of cold air from the north-east, bringing air temperatures down to -9 degrees at 1,500m above Swiss soil, said MeteoSuisse.
It’s likely that on Saturday many areas of Switzerland will experience an ‘ice day’, meaning temperatures will not surpass zero.
The cold will feel chillier still thanks to a moderate bise wind across the Swiss plains, MeteoSuisse added.
Snow is likely above 600m, a MeteoNews meteorologist told 20 Minutes, particularly in the Jura, prealps and Vaud Alps where up to 50cms of snow is forecast.
The news will be a relief to ski resorts in Switzerland who are hoping to avoid a repeat of the last two years, when there was little significant snowfall before January.
The events of last year – when Switzerland experienced its driest December for 150 years – left “a psychological mark” on ski resorts, meteorologist Frédéric Glassey told the paper.
However, this year ski resorts couldn’t ask for better, he said. As well as three consecutive dumps of snow, temperatures are low enough for resorts to use snow canons.
“These are conditions that do the economy good,” he said.
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