It Will Fall More than a Metre of Snow in the Pyrenees: Beware of Avalanches

From Monday 19th February to Wednesday 21st February, 2018, heavy snow is expected on the Pyrenees. The risk of avalanches will be strong

In the Pyrenees , snow accumulations are already very important but from Monday, February 19 to Wednesday, February 21, 2018, “white gold” will fall even more on the chain. Locally, beyond 2000 meters of altitude, it could be a height of more than one meter which could be added in the space of three days to the current layer. Estimates made by Météo France forecasters.

50 to 80 centimetres announced by Wednesday

Il est déjà tombé depuis hier soir jusqu’à 70 mm sur l’ouest des #Pyrénées (image 1), sous forme de neige au-dessus de 1500m. 50/80mm (localement 120/150) supplémentaires prévus d’ici mercredi matin (image 2) pic.twitter.com/Hc9tM5YRmb
— Gaétan Heymes (@GaetanHeymes) February 19, 2018

Sunday 18th and Monday 19th February, it is already nearly 30 centimetres that fell on some ski resorts like Cauterets:

Ce matin au réveil à @cauterets65110 ça donne ça ! 40cm de neige fraîche en bas des pistes/60cm en haut. #npy #pyrenees
📷 : @EsfCauterets pic.twitter.com/oC1fY1vp5G
— ❄ N’PY ⛷ (@npyski) February 19, 2018

High risk of avalanches

In the coming days, vigilance will be at a maximum in the ski areas of the various alpine ski resorts. Thursday 15th February, three skiers were found dead victims of an avalanche while they skied out of the ski area of Cauterets.

Five departments on orange alert

Five departments have been placed on orange alert by Meteo France, Monday, February 19, 2018, at 16 hours, for avalanche risks: the Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Haute-Garonne and Ariège.