New Record High Temperatures in The Alps
Mont Blanc has been thawing at all levels with the freezing point rising several hundred metres above its summit for the first time ever in June and remaining so through the night.
The final days of June saw the freezing point in the Alps move above 5,000m, above the peak of Western Europe’s tallest mountain, Mt Blanc, meaning that snow and ice was melting at all levels in June for the first time ever.
The freezing point reached 5,233 metres (around 17,000 feet) setting the new June record on Saturday, June 28th. Mont Blanc’s peak is at 4,807m (15.771 feet) and temperatures there reached 3.7°C (38.7°F) that day and remained above freezing overnight.
As the climate rapidly warms, with temperatures in the Alps reported to be rising twice as fast as elsewhere, it has got above freezing as high as 5,000m on other occasions in recent years, but never before as early in the year as June.
There are currently six glacier ski areas open in the Alps, mostly with 90-150cm (3-5 feet) of snow lying on their glaciers and none has announced a need to close due to the temperatures as yet. Two centres, Les 2 Alpes and Val d'Isère, are expected to end their summer opening as scheduled this coming weekend though. Saas-Fee is due to open for summer skiing and effectively the start of its 25-26 season the weekend after next.
Tignes, Hintertux, Passo Stelvio and the Matterhorn Glacier Paradise above Cervinia and Zermatt are all due to stay open through July. Most have 8-12km (5-7 miles) of high slopes open.
Although the warming climate is bad news for skiers, its much worse news for the wider community, as evidenced by the growing number of issue caused by disappearing and collapsing glaciers.
