Photos: heavy snowfall in Alps as winter closures for mountain passes begin
Forecasters expect snowfall to gradually reach lower altitudes before mid-November
Snow at higher altitudes is beginning to settle for the winter season
SYLVAIN FELTEN/Shutterstock/X/Meteovilles
Wintry conditions are beginning to arrive with heavy snowfall recorded in the French Alps at the start of the week.
As rain swept across the country on Sunday and Monday (October 19 and 20), Alpine regions at 2,000m above sea level saw abundant snow, particularly in the Savoie department and across the border in Italy.
Photos and images of the snowfall can be seen below.
The heavy snowfall has caused several roads to be temporarily closed, including the Col de Galibier (and accompanying tunnel), until at least 09:00 on Wednesday, October 22.
Departmental authorities in Savoie have also closed the Col de l’Iseran – the highest mountain pass for vehicles in Europe – for an unspecified amount of time.
The Col du Glandon will also be closed from 16:00 today (October 21).
These two latter roads are closed over the winter period, opening up around May and June respectively.
It is unclear whether the current closures will see the roads inaccessible from now until spring 2026, or if they will briefly reopen before closing for the winter season.
Savoie is one of the departments where winter tyres will be needed from November 1 onwards.
A good year for snow on the way?
Further snowfall is expected across the Alps as rainfall continues to hit the area, at higher altitudes turning into snow.
Generally, the first snowfall reaches regions of around 1,500m above sea level by the end of the month, and 1,000m in early November.
Although it does not usually settle, it heralds the beginning of winter, with subsequent snowfalls likely to leave dustings of snow.
The general pattern is being followed this year and forecasters are hopeful that typical winter conditions arriving on time will be good news for ski stations.
However, they are cautious that a period of dry weather in mid-November may limit potential snowfall, delaying the time at which ski stations can open.
It remains possible that some stations may miss part of the Christmas season, a busy period that accounts for much of their annual revenue.
The last ski station in the Loire department recently announced that it is temporarily closing this winter, partly due to a lack of certainty over snowfall.
