After a scorching start of the summer, temperatures have clearly descended in recent weeks. So much so that this Monday, it snows at … 2,500 meters in the departments of Isère, Savoy and Haute-Savoie. “Currently, it does not whiten at 2,500 meters, the level of white is located just above, 2,600 meters. These are not huge quantities: at 2,700 meters, there are almost no snow, just two centimeters, “notes Gilles Brunot, assistant to the Météo-France Alpes du Nord.
A glance at the webcams of the Alpe d’Huez station (Isère) allows it to be confirmed: if the grass is still very green at 2,176 meters, the camera at the top of the white peak, at 3,300 meters shows a thin layer of snow.
A “relatively common” phenomenon
Snow in the middle of July, at such a “low” altitude? The news may surprise … However, “it is not exceptional either”, underlines Gilles Brunot. “This is not the first time. It is not every year, but it is still relatively frequent, ”continues the specialist. Snow had actually been identified in the Alps beyond 2,000-2,500 meters at the beginning of August 2023 and at the same limit around July 14, 2021.
Cycling enthusiasts also remember the 1996 Tour de France, with the amputation of more than 140 km from the Savoyard stage, due to snow … even at much lower levels. “It’s something completely normal. Upon passing the disturbances we have periods of cooling which are more or less important. There, there is a depression on Eastern Europe which directs a north wind on France, therefore of the Mistral on the Rhône valley and a cooling marked on the eastern facade, “explains Gilles Brunot.
“The anomaly” should not extend out: showers are scheduled until Monday evening. “There will be other episodes with a little showers in a few days, but the rain/snow limit will go up. We are at the coldest today, ”explains the specialist.