Updated: 9.05am Saturday 2 May 2015 – Unsettled but mild
Yesterday’s torrential rain in the northern and western Alps continued for most of the night, leading to some serious flooding problems in places.
The worst affected areas were the northern French Alps (particularly the Haute-Savoie) and the extreme west of Switzerland where the rain, coupled with melting snow higher up the mountains, led to numerous rivers bursting their banks.
The rain/snow limit started at around 2000-2200m early yesterday morning but quickly rose to 2400-2600m, and up to 2800m in the more exposed foothills of the north and west. Above 2500-2800m there is a lot of fresh snow – well over 1m at 3000m in the Massif du Mt Blanc, for example. The recent rain has been less of an issue the further east south you are, with some (southern) parts of the Alps staying dry.