Mountain Weather in South Tyrol

The weather forecast is essential for a successful hiking tour: On the mountain, the weather can change within minutes, thunderstorms can come up or high winds can start. While it is already spring and early summer in the valleys, it can often still snow in the mountains.

If, despite good planning, threatening thunderclouds appear, high plateaus and ridge walks are particularly dangerous. Thunderstorms often move against the prevailing wind direction on the ground. A clear sign of a change in the weather are also small source clouds, called cumulus clouds, which grow higher and higher, and heat lightning in the distance.

Here you can find the current Mountain Weather published by the weather service of the Autonomous Province of Bolzano.

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This is what you should keep in mind during a thunderstorm:

• Seek shelter in the nearest mountain hut or, if necessary, in a hollow
• If there is no hut in the vicinity, it is best to crouch down with your head on your knees to give lightning as small a surface area as possible
• Avoid sitting or lying down: Remain in the described protective posture and keep knees and legs closed to minimise contact with the ground
• If it is not possible to stop, try to keep hopping, keeping only one foot on the ground at a time
• Keep enough distance to the other members of the hike
• In a dry cave, the minimum distance from the body to the individual rock walls should be at least half a metre

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Things you should avoid during a thunderstorm:

• Prominent points in the landscape, such as mountain peaks or trees, small groups of trees or the edge of the forest, poles and power poles
• Stow metal objects such as glasses, shoes or sticks away from the body, e.g. in a backpack, and place it a few metres away - not because these objects attract lightning in particular, but because they can cause burns through body contact
• Metal stairs and ropes on fixed rope routes
• Water conducts lightning, so avoid water points, puddles and wet climbing ropes

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