Breaking: up to 31 cm of snow expected within 48 hours on the Northern Alps massifs

Updated 7 October 2026 at 21:02. The totals below come from the Open-Meteo model, calculated by Savoie Snow massif by massif; they change from hour to hour. The interactive map, always up to date, is on our forecast snow by massif page, where each massif opens the list of its ski resorts.

A colder weather system is crossing the Northern Alps: within 48 hours, snow is expected at altitude in every massif of Savoie, Haute-Savoie and northern Isère. The biggest totals are forecast above 2,500 m, up to 31 cm in Belledonne, and the rain-snow line could drop to around 1,550 m at its lowest.

The snowiest massifs over the next 48 hours

At 2,500 m, according to the model:

• Belledonne31 cmat 2,500 m · 11 cm at 2,000 m
• Aravis17 cmat 2,500 m · 2 cm at 2,000 m
• Beaufortain17 cmat 2,500 m · 1 cm at 2,000 m
• Mont-Blanc16 cmat 2,500 m · 2 cm at 2,000 m
• Vanoise10 cmat 2,500 m · 4 cm at 2,000 m

At 2,000 m, the largest expected totals:

• Chartreuse22 cmat 2,000 m · massif topping out below 2,500 m
• Belledonne11 cmat 2,000 m · 31 cm at 2,500 m
• Bauges6 cmat 2,000 m · massif topping out below 2,500 m

Around 1,500 m the model forecasts hardly any snow: at that altitude, precipitation falls mostly as rain.

Massif by massif

Totals forecast over 48 hours, at 2,000 m then at 2,500 m, and the lowest rain-snow line of the period:

• Chartreuse: 22 cm at 2,000 m, massif below 2,500 m; line around 1,550 m to 1,750 m
• Belledonne: 11 cm at 2,000 m, 31 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,850 m to 2,050 m
• Bauges: 6 cm at 2,000 m, massif below 2,500 m; line around 1,600 m to 1,800 m
• Vanoise: 4 cm at 2,000 m, 10 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,850 m to 2,050 m
• Chablais: 4 cm at 2,000 m, massif below 2,500 m; line around 1,550 m to 1,750 m
• Mont-Blanc: 2 cm at 2,000 m, 16 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,950 m to 2,150 m
• Aravis: 2 cm at 2,000 m, 17 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,650 m to 1,850 m
• Maurienne: 1 cm at 2,000 m, 5 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,650 m to 1,850 m
• Beaufortain: 1 cm at 2,000 m, 17 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,650 m to 1,850 m
• Grandes-Rousses: 0 cm at 2,000 m, 8 cm at 2,500 m; line around 2,000 m to 2,200 m
• Haute-Tarentaise: 0 cm at 2,000 m, 5 cm at 2,500 m; line around 2,000 m to 2,200 m
• Haute-Maurienne: 0 cm at 2,000 m, 1 cm at 2,500 m; line around 1,900 m to 2,100 m

The Bauges, Chartreuse and Chablais massifs top out below 2,500 m: there is no forecast at that altitude.

In the valley

In Albertville, the Savoie Snow weather station recorded 14.7 °C at 21:02 and 4.6 mm of rain since midnight. The model forecasts about 32 mm of rain tomorrow and a maximum of around 15 °C.

Key points

• These are model forecasts, not measurements: actual amounts vary with terrain, exposure and wind.
• A snowfall total is not the depth of snow on the ground, and none of these values tells you whether a slope or a road is open.
• Before any outing in snowy mountains, check Météo-France’s avalanche risk bulletin (in French); before crossing a mountain pass, check the status published by Savoie Route.

To follow the changes hour by hour: the map of forecast snow by massif, the Savoie mountain weather and the observed snow in the Northern Alps.