IN PICTURES: French Alps hit by 'once-in-a-generation' snow storms

Parts of the French Alps have been hit by the kind of snowfall that only comes once every 30 years. These images show ski resorts buried in the snow.
Schools, nurseries have been closed and roads cut off in the French Alps after the Savoie department was placed on red alert -- the highest warning -- for avalanches on Monday.
Near the French-Italian border, in Haute Maurienne and Haute Tarentaise snow levels reached up to 80-90 centimetres in just 24 hours with the "maximum intensity" of the snowfall hitting on Monday evening.
"We will have had 2.40 m of snow in 48 hours," said the mayor of Bonneval-sur-Arc Gabriel Blanc on BFMTV on Monday night.
The ski resorts of Tignes and Val d'Isere were in lockdown with the pistes closed until further notice.
The region remained on alert on Tuesday as it struggled to deal with the spell of snowfall that had an "unusually high intensity," according to national weather agency Meteo France.
Preventative releases of avalanches will be set in motion as soon as the helicopters can take off, local authorities have said.
This shot was taken at the ski resort of Bonneval sur Arc.
Il faudra bientôt un double mètre pour mesurer la couche de #neige au sol au village de #Bonneval sur Arc.
188cm#retourdest.
Merci à Romain Aka-Poulko pic.twitter.com/f73lO3MHLT
— Thomas Blanchard (@ThomasBlanchar2) January 8, 2018
Un #déluge de #neige accompagné de quelques #orages frappe les Alpes frontalières avec l'Italie ce soir. En #Savoie, les cumuls de neige fraîche avoisinent 1 mètre entre #BonnevalsurArc et #Bessans. Source : Facebook Françoise Pierre Fay-Chatelard pic.twitter.com/0MkQ55hfGv
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) January 8, 2018
And the video below shows the snow plow teams trying to clear a path at the same resort.
❄ Les engins déneigeurs dégagent des quantités monstrueuses de neige à Bonneval-sur-Arc (73) ce soir ! (© Paul Blanc) #Alpes #RetourdEst pic.twitter.com/kW6t6g9Aqf
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) January 8, 2018
These snaps were taken at the popular ski resorts of Tignes and Val d'Isere.
Des images de Tignes et de Val d'Isère #Savoie, avant la tombée de la nuit. Les intensités neigeuses deviennent maximales ce soir. #avalanches pic.twitter.com/Fx0fJfLYbT
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) January 8, 2018
Tignes ce matin.
(Photo compte Insta : Snowparkshop)#RetourdEst pic.twitter.com/9RRNJNlQq9
— Francois Jobard (@Francois_Jobard) January 9, 2018
Up to 3 m of snow reported in Tignes (73), SW France at 2000 m this morning, January 9! Report: chris73320 IG / @Meteocontact pic.twitter.com/ezmuqNnJP5
— severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) January 9, 2018
Deze foto kregen we zojuist vanuit #Tignes....soms zeggen beelden meer dan woorden. Volg onze berichtgeving op: https://t.co/zUUn0Wgkd4 en https://t.co/OrDmiOublo…/. Credits foto: skinewgen via Instagram pic.twitter.com/FjRaKJvDGs
— SNOWREPUBLIC (@snowrep) January 9, 2018
The weather here in Tignes has been crazy!! There’s been snow, rain & high winds. The mountain was shut down today, which hardly ever happens... but it’s still absolutely stunning. pic.twitter.com/TXD2IJHrAQ
— Squash Falconer (@squashfalconer) January 4, 2018
Keep clearing a path my pretties ❤️ Just between here and the bar showing #TOTWHU is fine ?⚽️⚒ #COYI #SnowedIn #Tignes pic.twitter.com/TX9VxcD9kz
— hollseey (@hollseey) January 4, 2018
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Near the French-Italian border, in Haute Maurienne and Haute Tarentaise snow levels reached up to 80-90 centimetres in just 24 hours with the "maximum intensity" of the snowfall hitting on Monday evening.
"We will have had 2.40 m of snow in 48 hours," said the mayor of Bonneval-sur-Arc Gabriel Blanc on BFMTV on Monday night.
The ski resorts of Tignes and Val d'Isere were in lockdown with the pistes closed until further notice.
Il faudra bientôt un double mètre pour mesurer la couche de #neige au sol au village de #Bonneval sur Arc.
— Thomas Blanchard (@ThomasBlanchar2) January 8, 2018
188cm#retourdest.
Merci à Romain Aka-Poulko pic.twitter.com/f73lO3MHLT
Un #déluge de #neige accompagné de quelques #orages frappe les Alpes frontalières avec l'Italie ce soir. En #Savoie, les cumuls de neige fraîche avoisinent 1 mètre entre #BonnevalsurArc et #Bessans. Source : Facebook Françoise Pierre Fay-Chatelard pic.twitter.com/0MkQ55hfGv
— La Chaîne Météo (@lachainemeteo) January 8, 2018
And the video below shows the snow plow teams trying to clear a path at the same resort.
❄ Les engins déneigeurs dégagent des quantités monstrueuses de neige à Bonneval-sur-Arc (73) ce soir ! (© Paul Blanc) #Alpes #RetourdEst pic.twitter.com/kW6t6g9Aqf
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) January 8, 2018
These snaps were taken at the popular ski resorts of Tignes and Val d'Isere.
Des images de Tignes et de Val d'Isère #Savoie, avant la tombée de la nuit. Les intensités neigeuses deviennent maximales ce soir. #avalanches pic.twitter.com/Fx0fJfLYbT
— Keraunos (@KeraunosObs) January 8, 2018
Tignes ce matin.
— Francois Jobard (@Francois_Jobard) January 9, 2018
(Photo compte Insta : Snowparkshop)#RetourdEst pic.twitter.com/9RRNJNlQq9
Up to 3 m of snow reported in Tignes (73), SW France at 2000 m this morning, January 9! Report: chris73320 IG / @Meteocontact pic.twitter.com/ezmuqNnJP5
— severe-weather.EU (@severeweatherEU) January 9, 2018
Deze foto kregen we zojuist vanuit #Tignes....soms zeggen beelden meer dan woorden. Volg onze berichtgeving op: https://t.co/zUUn0Wgkd4 en https://t.co/OrDmiOublo…/. Credits foto: skinewgen via Instagram pic.twitter.com/FjRaKJvDGs
— SNOWREPUBLIC (@snowrep) January 9, 2018
The weather here in Tignes has been crazy!! There’s been snow, rain & high winds. The mountain was shut down today, which hardly ever happens... but it’s still absolutely stunning. pic.twitter.com/TXD2IJHrAQ
— Squash Falconer (@squashfalconer) January 4, 2018
Keep clearing a path my pretties ❤️ Just between here and the bar showing #TOTWHU is fine ?⚽️⚒ #COYI #SnowedIn #Tignes pic.twitter.com/TX9VxcD9kz
— hollseey (@hollseey) January 4, 2018
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