Author: Waldmeister

Winter Storm – Severe Weather In The Bavarian Alps, January 7-8, 2017

January 2017 began with very cold temperatures in Middle Europe. In some places it was 20 degrees below zero. Then it became warmer and in Upper Bavaria and in the Alps there was heavy snowfall. In Mittenwald, which is very close to the Austrian-German border, there was a mass of snow. Snow began falling on Saturday, January 7 and lasted on Sunday for the whole day. This made a big difference to previous years when there was no snow in the Bavarian alpine valleys during the same time of the year and it was much too warm. The severe weather during the first weeks of January caused many traffic accidents but in the alpine region people are well prepared for winter weather. However a weather pattern with a series of low-pressure systems in winter with sudden jumps in temperature pressing against the Alps from the North-West-Atlantic can lead to extreme dangerous situations. In Galtür, Austria, one of the biggest disasters happened in February 1999: afters days of extremr snowfall enormous avalanches hit the village and killed 38 and many people got injured. The village was isolated from the outside-world for days and ended in a spectacular rescue mission with a fleet of helicopters. The catastrophy lead to investigations about responsibility and a a lot of new measures to protect the valley from deadly avalanches. Even today with modern technologies avalanches are a constant danger in the alps. Tourists are always advised to check with local authorities and not leave secured paths during winter. In this situation here the weather calmed down after the weekend of January 6-7. Tourist can enjoy now the valley of Mittenwald and the municipality which has a rich history. It is situated in the valley of the river Isar on the historical route between Germany and Italy. It was also the route from the South to the North in the times of the Roman Empire. Even today you can see an Italian influence in Mittenwald. The municipality is also famous for the manufacture of violins.
/a> Rakuten Affiliate Network Welcome Program There are many walking-paths and streets leading to hotels and cabins in the surrounding mountains. On the East-side there is the impressing Karwendel, a mountain massive with steep rock faces and high mountains. The Karwendel is a extreme territory with a wilderness. On the west side you can get into the Leutasch-Tal, which is on the South-Side of the Zugspitze. Mittenwald is not far from Garmisch-Partenkirchen. There is also a cabin built by King Ludwig II not far away, The Schachenhaus, which can be visited during summertime. Furthermore there is the luxury hotel ELLMAU which was the place of a G7 meeting recently.

by Waldmeister Categories: Seasons Winter, Severe WeatherLeave a comment

Frost – Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany, Early December 2016

December 2016 was a dry month in many parts of Germany except the North-East. There was also very little snow in many regions. However another weather phenomenon created fascinating sceneries: hoar frost. After some warmer periods there was ground frost and air frost in the early days of December. It was the right condition for hoar frost which is composed of tiny ice crystals. Hoar frost is formed by the same process like dew and when the temperatures of surfaces are below the freezing point (further information: met office). Hoar frost creates great motives for photography and film. The Garmisch-Partenkirchen valley is particularly interesting during such days. Its one of Germany’s most spectacular sceneries anyway with the highest mountain of Germany, the “Zugspitze” and a huge skiing area. The huge mountains are on the south-side of the valley. Consequently there are parts in the valley like the village Grainau which gets very little sunshine in December and January. In the shadow side of the valley on the north-side of the Zugspitze its cold and the hoar frost remains. On the other side of the valley it can be warm and sunny at the same time. Thus there are very different climate conditions in a small area. A special place is the Eibsee, 1000 metres above sea level. It’s surrounded by woods and in a wild alpine area. The Eibsee is the last stop of the famous cog railway in the valley. Its also the valley station of the cable car which brings visitors in a few minutes to the top of the mountain. There is a walkway around the lake leading to a fascinating landscape. There is also a little island in middle of the lake and a luxury hotel on one side. The shore of the lake is formed by huge rocks, which looks great with a thin layer of hoar frost. During winter the lake is often frozen. Due to the special conditions interesting patterns appear on the ice surface.

In winter and autumn there are often very different weather conditions in the alpine region and the region in the north of the mountains. In the valley of Garmisch-Partenkirchen it was a sunny day, but at the end of the valley there was a mist remaining for most of the day. Atmospheric inversion happens often when there is high pressure. This means there is a warm layer of air on top of the cold air in the valley. It can get really warm on the mountain tops. Sometimes you can see the mist then below, which is like being above the clouds. If atmospheric inversion lasts for a longer time it can create problems with air pollution near the ground because there is no circulation of air. Cold pockets of air can also last very long in some alpine valleys like the “Funtensee” in Bavaria, which is regularly mentioned in the weather news due to its extreme low temperatures. During December Garmisch-Partenkirchen prepares for the winter season. It can still be very warm when the “Föhn”, a warm wind created by rain-clouds on the south-side of the alps, lets temperatures rise. Climate-Change is also an issue with longer periods of warm weather and a melting glacier during summer. Nevertheless the Garmisch Partenkirchen valley is a very attractive destination for tourists in winter. Recently there had been huge investments. A new cable car is built which will bring more visitors to the top of Zugspitze. Usually there is a weather-change after New Year and when snow falls the valley turns into a fairy-tale landscape, which is another great scenery for photography. A great place is also the partnach gorge with bizarre ice sculptures.

by Waldmeister Categories: Seasons Winter, Travel TipTags: , , , ,

Mist On A Lake – November 9, 2016

November is often seen as boring month (for photographers) due to a lot of grey and dull days. Daylight is also very limited. However this time of the year is often underestimated. There are wonderful plays of colors and many different moods with colored leaves, intense sunsets and fascinating meteorological phenomena. The lower light can also create very interesting effects. Unlike summer layer clouds often fill the sky. This could be very interesting for pictures when the sun is very low and the clouds are illuminated from beneath. After a very cold October and early winter days in Upper Bavaria there was a dramatic sunrise on 9th of November, 2016 in the “Ammersee Region”, a popular tourist destination during the summertime. However there is a lot to see at any season due to a spectacular and many-faceted landscape. Not far from the alps this is a lovely countryside with lakes, bogs, forests and hills which were formed during the last ice-age. At the southern end of the second-biggest lake of the region, the “Ammersee”, the river Ammer enters the lake. The south-end of the “Ammersee” is an important nature reserve. Many different birds could be found here. There is a huge marshland and a peninsular called “Schwedeninsel”, which demonstrate the constant change of a landscape formed by rivers from the alps.

In the surroundings of the “Schwedeninsel” wet fog appeared before sunrise during this days and was illuminated in different colors later. It was a very impressing experience, and the wet fog created a truly magical atmosphere. Temperatures were below zero during the night. In November sometimes the water is still warm compared to the cold air. These are the conditions for such weather phenomena during autumn like mist on a lake. Often the mist disappears later when the sun warms the atmospheres. Thus it is important for photo- and videography to stand up very early. The lakeside promenade in Diessen on the southwest side of the lake was a very good place to watch or to make some photos. Further on there is a watchtower at the south end which could be reached by foot. Diessen and the southern and west region of the lake is easily accessible: During summer the tourists arrive with an extravagantly restored steam paddler. For the rest of the year there is a train station nearby with trains arriving every hour from the city of Augsburg. The motorway is a 20-minutes drive away. On the other side of the lake there are bigger hills. On top of one hill of the east-side of the Ammersee is the famous “Andechs”-Monastery. Hills and lake have also an effect on the microclimate in the region. It’s possible that there is snow in the upper regions of the hills but it’s always a bit warmer when you get closer to the lake. Mist or fog mostly appears when there is very little wind. The 9th of November was a short window after low pressure from the west brought rain and snow and before the next active front appeared. Often it’s the short time when weather calms down to experience such spectacular settings.

by Waldmeister Categories: Mist, Seasons Autumn, UncategorizedTags: , ,

BURNING SKIES – Oct 3, 2016

October 3, a public holiday in Germany, ended in the Havelland, west of Berlin, with a spectacular afterglow. After a long period of unusual warm and dry days in August and September in Middle Europe, which led to a drought, the first showers occurred on Oct 2, 2016 in the capital region. Temperatures fell and it became more autumn-like. The red evening sky also proved a popular folk saying wrong in this special case.

The folk saying about afterglow in the evening is that a red sky in the evening means good weather and a red morning sky means bad weather coming. This is true – most of the time. The meteorological reason is that wind in Europe is mostly a west-wind. With the wind the clouds and the rain come from the Atlantic, moving from the west to east. If the sky clears in the west and we see the beams of the sun reflected in clouds it could mean that the weather will improve the next day. However in the first October days the conditions were reversed and the next day temperatures dropped further. It was still a clear sky in the west but due to an Eastern wind the clouds were coming in from North-East.

It was cloudy and there was more rain on Oct 4 and Oct 5. This was a good thing for nature, which needed the rain urgently. It was so dry that very little mush-rooms could be found in September.

However on October 5 a flood warning for the Baltic Sea coast was issued. A strong wind was coming from the North-East.

Weather always has to offer a lot for video- and photographers. And even if autumn sunsets are a very popular motive every sunset is special in its own way. You only need to know about a good place with a big sky. Brandenburg is a country with endless horizons and perfect for these kind of motives. One good place with an interesting silhouette is the little town Werder An Der Havel, which is partly situated on an island.

The photos were taken with a Canon 5D Mark II. A tripod is very helpful for sunset-photography because even you see a spectacular sky there are already low lighting conditions. A typical problem of sunset photography is the strong contrast. Therefore its good to do some shots with different apertures and see what works best.




by Waldmeister Categories: Uncategorized