ABSTRACT
Snow cover has a considerable bearing upon a country’s economy. Whether its effect is positive or negative depends upon the economic regime and the altitude of the area under study. In the lowlands, the impact of snow cover is mainly negative. When it is deep, it blocks the highways, interrupts railway traffic, and brings building activity to a standstill. The existence of a snow cover is essentially determined by visual observation, thus limiting recording to the area around the climatic stations. The earliest diary in which snow cover is regularly reported was kept by Johann Heinrich Fries, who was a parson in Zurich. In winter, westerly and southwesterly weather situations generally produce rainfall in the lowlands, while at higher altitudes, where the precipitation falls in the form of snow, they give increased accumulation. During very snowy winters, the lakes in the alpine borderland are often covered with ice.
