Love - Megève

weather
mouNTaIN
IN hauTE-savoIE ThE
Top spEcIalIsT IN
mouNTaIN WEaThER Is
yaN gIEzENdaNNER.
WEaThER foREcasTER
foR all ThE mouNTaIN
RaNgEs IN ThE
WoRld, hE Is also a
WEaThERmaN aT ThE
chamoNIx foREcasT
offIcE, WhERE hE has
covEREd ThE ENTIRE
dEpaRTmENT’s WEaThER
foR 35 yEaRs.
aIR
Megève, being an important tourist centre in Haute-Savoie benefits from a
specific programme that comes out every six hours giving temperature forecasts
for five days. This information is sent to the Tourist Office and village of
Megève. pierre Jond from the village’s Technical Services Department measures
the temperature, the wind, the rain or snowfall and the cloud cover every day of
the year. Nicolas Maboux and patrick Dousset, ski patrol and maintenance men,
use probes to find out the depth of the snow cover throughout the winter so that
we can be forewarned of avalanches. The weather forecast is indispensable and
irreplaceable for those who do mountaineering or hiking sports. In winter it is
also useful in other areas. Starting with snow clearing in the streets, the upkeep
and maintenance of ski slopes and lifts, and triggering off avalanches. “Weather
forecasts make it easier for holidaymakers to choose their activities and get
the most out of their stay! yan informs us, “Our forefathers made do but today
we like to take maximum advantage of the weather;” If it is true that there is a
change in the climate, according to yan it is not irreversible. “We could easily
return to the much colder and snowier winters of the past; I am convinced that it
is simply a question of weather cycles.” There have always been large variations
in the temperatures in Haute Savoie. The good news is that Megève, being
situated in a wide and thus sunny, open valley, benefits from a microclimate that
also means a special snow cover, with milder temperatures.
Marie-Christine Hugonot
65