by Gareth Jefferies, Alpine Property
We often get asked what the weather is like in the Alps. And where we get our forecast from. There are loads of resources available. I rarely use just one, I get used to putting them together to get an overview of the situation.
Our favourite forecast is from an amateur forecaster in Chamonix, it's good for most of the Haute Savoie. We find it works fine in St Gervais, Samoens and Morzine too.
- http://chamonix-meteo.com/bul/metPreMatFr.php taken from the http://chamonix-meteo.com/ website.
We often use Snow-Forecast for long term trends, it's free up until 6 days however don't get too hung up on the actual numbers. It should be renamed rain-forecast in the summer.
And then MeteoBlue, this goes into more depth and forecasts further into the future.
If you want to get back to basics then there is always the pressure charts. The best are probably from the Met Office.
For a more micro idea of the current rain/snow there is a real time radar, this is great for picking dry periods between showers.
Webcams in the Haute Savoie.
When things are a bit grey in the valleys, we use the webcams to see what is happening on the mountain!
- The Lindarets Webcam http://m.webcam-hd.com/vallee-d-aulps/les-lindarets
- The plateau at La Grande Terche http://m.webcam-hd.com/vallee-d-aulps/plateau-st-jean-d-aulps/
- The summit (Sommet des Tetes) at La Grande Terche http://m.webcam-hd.com/vallee-d-aulps/roc-d-enfer
- Various webcams at Avoriaz http://www.avoriaz.com/en/discovering/interactive-tour/webcams
- All the webcams in Chamonix http://www.chamonix.com/webcam,12,en.html
- And these ones at the end of a high valley on the Italian side of Mt Blanc. http://www.comune.valsavarenche.ao.it/it/web-cam
When there is a thunderstorm it can be fun seeing where the lightning is striking. This site shows the real-time strikes and is very accurate.
Author's bio
Gareth Jefferies left the West Yorkshire Police in 1999 to make a new life for himself and his wife in the mountains. A keen skier, with a love for all mountain activities, he really appreciates the distinct seasons that you get in this region. He now has 3 children, all of whom love the outdoors - indeed one is aiming to compete for France as a Biathlete in the 2020 Youth Olympics in Lausanne!
Responsible for marketing and technology at Alpine Properties, a French-registered estate agency with bilingual agents located all over the French Alps, Gareth is usually the first contact you will have the company. He is always happy to discuss your project with you, usually by email, suggesting various properties and making appointments.
