Huge Christmas snowfall in the Alps - over 3 feet in 24 hours
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Ski areas in the Alps have reported up to a metre (over three feet) of snowfall on higher slopes in the last 24 hours.
The new snowfall come after temperatures dropped on Thursday evening, sometimes getting down as low as -20C over the weekend.
With some resorts reporting up to 60cm (two feet) at the end of last week too, it means 5 day total accumulations of up to 1.5 metres (five feet) have now been recorded at some high altitiude areas.
The sub-zero temps have also been reported down to the valley floor, with some low-lying resorts reporting up to 75cm of snowfall down to 1,000m altitudes.
The biggest snowfalls have been reported in the Western Alps, particularly on higher slopes in France and Switzerland.
Crans Montana has reported a metre of snowfall in the last 24 hours and 1.5m (five feet) in the past three days; Courchevel and Val Thorens around 1.2m (4 feet) in the past 72 hours. Most ski areas have had at least half-a-metre (two feet) if snowfall in the last 24 hours.
All the snowfall has closed many ski areas, or large parts of them, as slopes are made safe and lifts dug out. The avalanche danger is also high in most areas.
Verbier pictured.
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