Between Saturday 1st and Sunday 2nd October 2022, intense rainfall caused damage in the Chamonix-Mont-Blanc valley.
The Vouillourds path transformed into a mountain stream
According to Le Dauphine, Sunday 2nd October 2022, between Chamonix and Les Houches, walkers were able to observe the result of 24 hours of intense rain. The walk path called “the ravine of the Vouillourds” has turned into a real mountain torrent, gullying a very busy path and carrying away many stones.
This surge was accompanied by a layer of silt which was deposited on the path, yet as wide as a forest track. The rest went into the Arve, the watercourse took on a very brown hue.
It will certainly take a bit of cleaning with the machinery of the town so the course to regain its normal appearance.
Météo France: a volume of precipitation of 57 L of water per m2
According to Météo France, in 24 hours, meteorologists observed for Chamonix a volume of precipitation of 57 liters of water per square meter.
Beyond this precipitation which has accumulated after an already very wet week, we must also look at the evolution of the rain-snow limit. During the weekend, it rose to an altitude of 3,000 meters when the snow was present from 2,200 meters.
The rain melted the first snow of the season
The rain fell on the first snowpack of the season. Before this episode, there were 18 centimeters of snow in the Aiguilles Rouges at 2,400 meters above sea level. After the rains of Saturday 1st October, there was only one centimeter of snow left at this same altitude.
This grosgrain of several hours therefore washed away the snow-covered ground, causing some overflows and ice jams here and there in the mountain torrents.
Source: Le Dauphine
