Savoie: showers on Wednesday, a sharp cool-down and snow at altitude on Thursday

Correction, Wednesday 7 October, evening. A first version of this article gave about 23 °C for Albertville this Wednesday. That figure came from a forecast page that was out of date: the Savoie Snow weather station measured a maximum of 16.9 °C. The figures below have been corrected using our measurements and the forecast published on the site.

The weather has turned in Savoie and Haute-Savoie after a long end of summer. This Wednesday, 7 October, was grey and damp in Albertville with a few showers; Thursday, 8 October, looks clearly wet and cooler, with snow above about 2,000 metres, before a calmer Friday.

What the Albertville station measured on Wednesday

According to the Savoie Snow weather station in Albertville (355 m):

• Maximum temperature: 16.9 °C, reached around 16:40.
• Minimum temperature: 13.8 °C, around 7:10.
• Rain for the day: 4.4 mm, recorded by early evening.

That is a much cooler day than the start of the week, and a first step before Thursday’s drop in temperature.

The forecast for Albertville

According to the Open-Meteo model forecast published on the site (a model estimate, not a measurement):

• Thursday 8 October: steady rain, about 32 mm over the day, with a maximum of around 15 °C and a minimum of about 10 °C.
• Friday 9 October: drier, calmer weather, maximum around 16 °C, minimum about 10 °C.
• Saturday 10 October: sunny spells return, maximum around 19 °C.

These values may still change: the home page and the site’s mountain weather page are updated every hour.

And at altitude?

According to the same model, the summits of the big ski resorts of the Tarentaise and Haute-Savoie could get 10 to 20 cm of fresh snow on Thursday: for example around 20 cm near the Cime Caron (Val Thorens) or the Aiguille Rouge (Les Arcs), about 16 cm at the Grandes Platières (Flaine) and around ten centimetres at the Pointe des Mossettes (Avoriaz). These are forecast snowfall totals at altitude, not snow depth on the ground.

In an article published on 4 October, Météo Paris was already mentioning, based on the European model, a rain-snow line that could temporarily drop to around 1,600 to 1,800 metres between Thursday and Friday. That altitude remains uncertain: a few hundred metres makes all the difference for mid-altitude resorts.

Weather warnings

We were unable to read a Météo-France weather warning bulletin dated today for Savoie and Haute-Savoie. Before heading into the mountains or onto the roads, check vigilance.meteofrance.fr directly (in French).

Key points

• Wednesday: grey day with showers, 16.9 °C maximum measured in Albertville.
• Thursday: steady rain in the valleys, around 15 °C, and snow likely above about 2,000 m.
• Friday: calmer, around 16 °C.
• Before crossing a mountain pass, check its status on Savoie Route: a forecast does not tell you whether a road is open.

To follow the changes: the Savoie mountain weather, snow in the Northern Alps, the ski resorts and the Savoie roads.