French weather: Floods, tornados, hailstones...and now snow in June
The summer snowfall in the Pyrenees is the latest in unexpected weather in recent weeks. Forecasters say it is ‘not so rare’ in the first half of June at high altitude, but less common now
The camera at the top of the Pic du Midi captured the snowfall, which is rarer at the end of June
Météo Pyrénées / @Meteo_Pyrenees / Twitter
Snow has fallen late in the season in the Pyrenees, with snowfall reported from 2,700 metres altitude near the Pic du Midi, yesterday (June 23).
The Météo Pyrénées webcam on the famous peak – at 2,800 metres altitude – captured poor weather and considerable snowfall yesterday.
It is the latest in ‘extreme’ weather in France – following heatwaves, storms, flash floods and tornados across the country in recent days.
Read more: Mini-tornado rips off roof as more extreme weather hits France
The local forecaster explained that snow in June is “not so rare” in the area, saying: “It’s a common phenomenon at these altitudes.” However, it did say that snow, even in the higher mountains, had become rarer in the second half of June in recent years.
Lesser alerts
Météo France warnings have become less severe in recent days.
In the latest update at the time of writing, a total of 28 departments in the east of the country are still on yellow (second-lowest) alert for storms, and some departments closer to the centre – such as Creuse, Correze and Cantal – are also on alert for heavy rain. Eure is on alert for flooding.
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