Heavy snowfall is hitting the Northern Alps, prompting Météo-France to place four departments (Ain, Savoie, Haute-Savoie, and Isère) on orange alert for snow and ice on Sunday and Monday.
Three of these departments are also under avalanche alert, with strong winds sweeping across the northwest of the country.
Snow began to fall on Sunday morning, with up to 5 cm in Bourg-Saint-Maurice and 6 cm in Chamonix, according to Météo-France's latest bulletin at 10:00.
In mountainous areas under orange alert, nearly a metre of snow is expected by Monday evening above 1,500/1,800 metres, and between 40 to 60 cm around 1,000 metres.
This may disrupt access to high-altitude resorts, Météo-France warns, with wind gusts of 80 to 100 km/h on Sunday potentially causing snowdrifts in some areas.
Motorists must exercise extreme caution on the roads, particularly at the start of the winter holidays. They are advised to use winter tyres and chains for access to certain mountain areas and to limit travel as much as possible, the Haute-Savoie prefecture said in a statement.
Avalanche alert
The avalanche warning will begin at 18:00 and last until Monday evening in the Savoie, Haute-Savoie, and Isère massifs.
Large avalanches are expected as snowfall continues overnight on Sunday and throughout the day on Monday. These avalanches may reach exposed mountain roads and high-altitude infrastructure, Météo-France added.
"This level of avalanche activity typically occurs every three to eight years depending on the massifs," the organisation highlighted.
Strong winds are also expected on Monday, and fresh snow will settle on an unstable snowpack from previous snowfalls, potentially triggering large avalanches.
Snowfall is also expected in the Ariège Pyrenees from late Sunday afternoon. Météo-France mentioned that an escalation of the yellow alert for snow and ice in the Ariège department is not ruled out.
