Photos: first snows of season in the Pyrénées, Alps to follow soon
Temperatures in mountain range dropped more than 20C over the weekend
Snowfall is expected throughout the week. Photo for illustrative purposes only
pixinoo/Shutterstock
The first significant snowfall of the autumn was recorded in the tallest peaks of France at the start of the week, as a cold front starts to cover much of France.
Snow capped the peaks of the tallest mountains in the Pyrénées, including the Pic du Midi de Bigorre at 2,800m.
It came after temperatures there dropped by more than 20 degrees between last Thursday (September 18) and the first day of autumn (Monday, September 22).
Snowfall this early on in the year is rare, particularly after one of the warmest summers on record.
While there is not enough for the ski season to begin, operators will be hoping for a strong showing after many stations were forced to close last year due to a lack of snow.
More snow to come this week
Monday’s snow will not be an isolated fall, with all of France’s major mountain ranges set to see snow throughout the week.
A cold front moving in from Germany will see temperatures drop below seasonal averages across France, and bring drizzle to several areas.
At the same time it will cause snow at altitudes of 1,800m and above in the Alps and Massif Central alongside the Pyrénées.
This will drop to areas at 1,700m on Wednesday, and last throughout until Thursday, leading to prolonged snowfall.
