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Winter weather: Pyrenees and French Alps set for more snow

The Local France
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Winter weather: Pyrenees and French Alps set for more snow
A skier wearing a protective mask looks on before taking a lift during the opening weekend of the Porte-Puymorensski ski resort, south-western France on November 20, 2021. (Photo by RAYMOND ROIG / AFP)

It has already been a remarkable December for snow in the Pyrénées - but more heavy falls are forecast from Wednesday, while the Alps are also set to enjoy more fresh snow.

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The weekend was marked by sustained snowfall in the Pyrénées, with an average of between 50cm and 70cm of snow at altitudes above 1200m, rising in some areas towards western areas of the mountain chain to 1m.

According to Météo-France, the level of snowfall in the west of the Pyrénées is remarkable for the time of year, especially since accumulations were considered ‘very low’ as recently as November 24th. The forecaster said the winter snow covering below 2,000m - the average now is 1m at 1500m - is among the best for the beginning of December and equivalent to normal levels in mid-January.

 

The 1.37m of snow recorded at Arette La Pierre Saint Martin (1,650m) on December 6th is a record for the month since the weather station opened there in December 1971. The 1.36m recorded at the Soum Couy automatic weather station is in the top four accumulations recorded there since the station opened in January 1997.

A record 2m of snow was also recorded at Cauterets snow-meteorological observation network post, in the Hautes-Pyrénées, on December 6th - thanks to the 1m snowfall between Friday and Monday, while the 1.75m of snow recorded at lac d'Ardiden (2,445m) is the highest since the station there opened in October 1995.

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The new falls, due to start on the evening of Tuesday, December 7th, are linked to the Storm Barra weather system that is currently battering southwest Ireland and is set to move across Ireland and into Great Britain.

 

While winds in France will not reach speeds of 157kph recorded at Fastnet, off the coast of southwest Ireland, earlier on Tuesday, strong gusts are forecast in the northwest of France, and the Atlantic coast will experience heavy seas.

On Wednesday, heavy snow is again forecast in the Pyrénées. "Snow will fall again at relatively low altitude … with falls potentially impacting the road network", Météo-France warned in its evening bulletin on Monday.

 

“The Pyrénées could see another 1m-plus of snow.”

With the new snow, however, there’s a warning. “Snow depths, greater than 2m on the ground, would then become extraordinary over a good part of the range for the first half of December,” the forecaster said, warning of the increased risk of avalanches.

Over in the Alps, the remnants of the weather system is expected to bring substantial snowfall, particularly in western and southern areas, and another storm from the northwest will reach the mountain range on Friday.

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