Heavy snowfall is returning to European ski resorts, especially in the French Alps, where more than a meter of powder has delighted skiers in places like Chamonix, Les Gets, and Morzine. The Arctic blast that swept over Northern Europe last week has now moved southward, delivering favorable conditions to the region’s ski havens, with temperatures dropping to about -43°C in certain regions of Sweden.

According to ski forecast specialist On the Snow, Austria and Switzerland have witnessed significant accumulations of 30cm, while Italian slopes have benefited from up to 50cm of snowfall. With the recent snowfall, there’s hope that the early November trend of resort openings ahead of schedule will continue.

The change in the weather is consistent with forecasts from previous El Niño years, which show that winters in Europe usually begin mild and wet and then become colder and drier between January and March. This pattern points to the potential for one of the strongest ski seasons in recent memory, marked by more consistent and heavy snowfall.

The favorable weather shift is a welcome respite for European ski resorts, which have struggled with inadequate snowfall as a result of global warming in recent years.

For those who can’t wait to go on the slopes, January’s snow forecast for ski resorts throughout Europe is looking good. Over 50 resorts in Austria are anticipating precipitation, with snowpack levels more than 150% above average. Resorts at high altitudes such as Stuben am Arlberg and St Anton am Arlberg have magnificent snowpacks exceeding three meters.

After experiencing dry and warm weather in December, the Pyrénées in France had a rebound over the weekend. In the past 72 hours, leading resorts in the French Alps have received one meter of snow, including 140 cm at Courchevel and 117 cm at Val Thorens.

Snowfall in the Italian Alps was caused by low pressure originating in the North Atlantic, giving Italy its first taste of’real winter’. The best places to take advantage of more than half a meter of snow above 1,000 meters are La Thuile, Livigno, and Val Gardena.

Significant snowfall in November caused the Verbier ski resort in Switzerland to open three weeks ahead of schedule. Resorts such Davos Klosters, Melchsee-Frutt, and Engadin have amassed snow depths of more than two meters following this week’s precipitation, with Saas-Fee, close to the Italian border, reaching over three meters of snowpack.