The bad weather that has hit France since this weekend has had an impact on the mountains. The Alps face a high risk of avalanches this Tuesday.
Except for the Mercantour mountains, which are the southernmost part of the range, all other mountains experience a danger level of at least 3 on the European scale of 5. In the Northern Alps, the risk even reaches 4 out of 5 in most of the mountains.
At level 3, the risk is considered “flagged”. At the fourth level, he is “strong”. In the first case, “instability is clearly visible, sometimes on multiple slopes”. “Appreciating the dangers requires experience. » In the second case, at level 4 out of 5, conditions are considered “unfavorable” due to “strong instability on many slopes”. “Appreciating the dangers requires great experience. »
A rarer situation is global warming
Whether it’s risk 3 or 4, this Tuesday the height of approximately 2000 m is what marks the difference, namely the boundary between medium and high mountains. Below this height, the risk decreases significantly, but does not go to zero. The demarcation is around 1,800 m for mountains at risk 3 and around 2000 – 2,200 m for mountains at level 4.
Snow at this time of year is not unusual. However, the risk of avalanches at low altitudes is slightly different from the standard. In the context of global warming, the snow-rain limit has increased in recent years and the amount of powder falling is not so great.
The Ministry of Ecology recalled that the avalanche risk estimation bulletin provided by Météo France was also “distributed daily from December 15 to April 30”. At the start of winter, namely November 1 to December 15, the information is usually “shorter” and aimed at high mountain climbers.
In other French mountains, the risk of avalanches is lower this Tuesday. But the Corsican mountains are also at level 3. In the Pyrenees, only Aspe-Ossau and Haute-Bigorre are of concern.
