“By the end of the century, the snow cover in Central and Southern Europe could decrease by up to 80%“, says a report by the European Environment Agency (EEA), quoted by Meteobalkans.
According to scientists, snow no longer falls the way we remember it. It doesn't just come late - it leaves forever. The Alps and the Balkans, once white and majestic for half the year, are now increasingly brown and covered in mud.
Copernicus satellites clearly show: over the past 20 years, winters in Europe have shortened by an average of 24 days. And in some areas of the Alps - even by 36. The average height at which snow “survives” has already risen by almost 300 meters. In Bulgaria, this means one simple thing – less snow on Vitosha, Rila and the Rhodope Mountains, less water in the spring and more risk of drought in the summer.
“Snow is no longer a reliable source of water. And this changes everything – from agriculture to energy,“ says climatologist Dr. Rositsa Avramova.
The winters are melting, literally. What is happening is a new climate balance. Warm air masses from the south are penetrating more often, and cold invasions from the north are weakening. As a result – longer autumns, shorter winters and more and more rain instead of snow.
In the mountains, this is fatal: snow that does not persist cannot feed the rivers in the spring. “When the snow disappears, the retained water also disappears,“ explains Prof. Andrea Guerra from the University of Innsbruck. “Without it – the reservoirs fill up suddenly, then dry up. The seasonal balance is disrupted.“
Artificial snow, artificial winter
Ski resorts in the Alps already spend more electricity and water on snow production than on heating and transport combined. In Bansko and Pamporovo, the situation is similar: without snow cannons, the season simply does not start.
But artificial snow has a price - energy and environmental. To cover a slope with 30 cm of snow, about 2 million liters of water are needed. And if the climate continues to warm, soon neither the water nor the cold will be enough.
Snow is a silent infrastructure. It does not just cover the mountains - it powers them. When it is gone, rivers shrink, soils dry out, and the energy system loses its natural buffer. According to a study by ETH Zurich, 80% of Europe's drinking water comes from mountain basins fed by melting snow. If this system collapses, the Balkan Peninsula will suffer first - due to lower altitudes and faster warming.
In recent years, snowfall in our country has shifted to March and April. January often resembles November - rainy, foggy, mild. Even in Pirin and Rila, the snow cover in winter is 30-40% thinner than the norm 20 years ago.
Snow is turning from a seasonal event into a childhood memory. Unfortunately, children of the 22nd century will not wait for the “first snow“, because they will not know what winter is.