A real mixture of weather and snow conditions lies ahead for the N French Alps this coming week. A storm from Monday to Wednesday morning is expected to bring plenty of fresh snow to the N French Alps. Higher temperatures and rain up to higher altitudes, at the beginning of the storm(s) – with lower temperatures at the end of the storm is good news for the quality of snow that we will end up with and the overall stability of the snowpack (the free water created by rain and melting is now freezing and contributing to solidifying the snowpack especially from 2000m and below). This is why the danger levels will be one level, or maybe even two levels lower below approx 2000m.
With yo-yoing temperatures, mostly above average for the time of season, when the storm started on Sunday/Monday night and throughout most of Monday it was only snowing at very high altitudes, with a rain/snow limit around 2300 m. On Monday night and into Tuesday, temperatures decreased with snow falling down to altitudes of 1100 m. Amounts of snowfall expected vary from region to region, but roughly around 40 cm of fresh snow above 2400 m, and maybe up to 90 cm in the Vanoise area of Savoie (e.g. Courchevel, Les Menuires…).
Any precipitation should die out by Wednesday morning, followed by a couple of clear days, with more snow showers probably coming in on Friday/Saturday.
