Weather tracker: cold weather sweeps Europe and cyclone hits Australia

Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areas Southern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to widely unsettled conditions driven by an area of low pressure in the region. This area of low pressure – previously a part of the system that brought colder…

Key takeaways

Quick scan — what you need to know:

• Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areas Southern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to…
• This area of low pressure – previously a part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week – moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.
• In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly…
• By Friday morning, accumulations of 20-40cm were expected above 600 metres, and with 60-100cm above 1,000 metres in the Swiss Alps.

Background

What led here, in plain terms:

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• Low pressure brings unsettled conditions to southern Europe, and rain and snow to western and central areas Southern Europe has been under a variety of severe weather warnings this week owing to…
• This area of low pressure – previously a part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week – moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.
• In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly…

Why it matters

Why readers and decision-makers should care:

• This area of low pressure – previously a part of the system that brought colder conditions to swathes of the UK earlier this week – moved southwards across Europe through the middle of the week.
• In doing so, it brought a cold front across western and central parts of Europe, with spells of rain and hill snow across the Alps on Wednesday, followed by snow showers on a brisk north-westerly…
• By Friday morning, accumulations of 20-40cm were expected above 600 metres, and with 60-100cm above 1,000 metres in the Swiss Alps.