Rare snow to coat courts at BMW Open tennis tournament in Munich

By Andy Mussoline, Meteorologist

April 25,2016; 1:27PM,EDT

 

 

Rare snow and cold will create harsh conditions into Wednesday for competitors in the ATP BMW Open tennis tournament in Munich.
Snow slicked the clay tennis courts at the BMW Open on Sunday as pictures via Twitter showed players competing in the elements.
"I have never seen anything like this before," John Peers told the ATP World Tour. "It's the first time at an outdoor tour-level event that I have seen snow and matches had to be suspended."

The rare snowy weather will persist into at least Wednesday before the cold eases later this week.
Snow will be most favored for any matches in the late morning and early afternoon.
In most cases, the snow will last only 20 to 30 minutes at a time, but it will fall at a rate fast enough to coat the courts. In addition to the snow, quick bursts of rain and ice pellets will threaten play as well.
"Matches will be delayed at times due to the showers, so the players may have to play catch up through the week," AccuWeather Meteorologist Tyler Roys said.
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Highs will reach only 7 C (44 F) on Wednesday, nearly 8 degrees Celsius (14 degrees Fahrenheit) below normal for this time of the year. Factoring in a gusty wind, AccuWeather RealFeel® Temperatures will struggle to reach 2 C (36 F) in the late afternoon, but much of the day will feel below zero.
"Spectators should be bundled up," Roys said.
A slow-moving storm across northern Germany will be responsible for ushering in the cold and snow this week, but this storm will gradually weaken toward the weekend.

As the storm weakens, the cold will ease beginning on Thursday with a warming trend heading into the weekend.
Highs will rebound to around 10 C on Thursday and then just shy of the normal 15 C on Saturday and Sunday.
For the rest of Germany, a similar trend will take place. Thundery showers, capable of producing quick bursts of snow and ice pellets, will cross the region through at least midweek before the cold eases toward the weekend.