Alpine Meteorology

Fall Break has begun and I've taken advantage by traveling to Europe where I'll be giving a talk at the University of Bern in Switzerland next week.

For a mountain meteorologist and outdoor enthusiast, visiting the Alps is an amazing experience.  The mountains are huge, the valleys deep, and the spatial contrasts in weather dramatic.

I'm currently in Innsbruck, which is located the Inn Valley, one of the longest and deepest in the Alps.

Source: Wikipedia Commons (Map data (c) OpenStreetMap (and) contributors, CC-BY-SA)

The mountains immediately north of Innsbruck rise more than 2000 m above the valley floor.  Today, Mother Nature really gave us a great view of those mountains with a beautiful double rainbow over the city.

Of course, being in Europe has other advantages, such as a beverage fountain that includes wine on tap.