24/7 Space News
WEATHER REPORT
Four killed after spring storms wreak havoc in the Alps
Four killed after spring storms wreak havoc in the Alps
By Charlene PERSONNAZ
Saint-Julien-Mont-Denis, France (AFP) April 18, 2025

Alpine ski resorts were getting back to normal on Friday after spring storms the previous day claimed four victims in the French Alps and northern Italy, including a British holidaymaker.

The 27-year-old Briton was caught in an avalanche at the entrance to the French Alpine resort of Val Thorens in Savoie, after heavy snowfall across the mountain range.

Found in a state of cardiac arrest, he was taken to Grenoble for treatment but died that evening, local prosecutor Benoit Bachelet said in a statement Friday.

Three people died in northern Italy on Thursday after the region was hit by heavy rains.

Floodwaters carried away a 64-year-old and his 33-year-old son in their car in the Veneto region of northeast Italy.

And a man in his 90s was found dead in his flooded home in the northwest region of Piedmont.

"Intense and abundant" rain had drenched the north of Italy, turning to snow above 1,800 metres (5,905 feet) altitude, an official said.

The storms shut roads, halted trains and cut power to areas in France, Italy and Switzerland.

Although snow in April is not rare in the Alps, the amount that fell in just hours was unusual and took authorities and residents by surprise.

Officials in some parts of the French and Swiss Alps had told residents to stay indoors on Thursday before lifting the restrictions.

The avalanche alert level was raised in several regions, shutting down several ski areas. By Friday evening however, Meteo France had lowered its alert level, while still urging skiers to remain vigilant.

Many roads were shut in all three countries due to fallen trees or the risk of avalanches.

Heavy trucks were banned from using the main Mont Blanc tunnel between France and Italy and dozens that could not get through tunnels were stuck on the A43 highway linking Italy and France.

Trains were also affected, and at one point more than 3,300 homes in France and 5,000 households in Italy were left without power, according to authorities.

"It's truly exceptional," said Didier Beauchet, a retiree who has lived in Lanslebourg in the Savoie for 40 years.

"I must have seen that only five times," he told AFP, as motorists around him worked to free their snow-covered cars.

burs-jj/sbk

Related Links
Weather News at TerraDaily.com

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters
Tweet

RELATED CONTENT
The following news reports may link to other Space Media Network websites.
WEATHER REPORT
At least 69 killed in thunderstorms, avalanches in India, Nepal, China
Patna, India (AFP) April 12, 2025
At least 69 people were killed this week in unusually intense thunderstorms across eastern India's Bihar state and in neighbouring Nepal, officials said Saturday. While flash floods and lightning kill thousands of people each year, scientists warn that rising global temperatures are unleashing a cascade of extreme weather events. Bihar disaster authorities said Saturday that at least 61 people had died in strong thunder and lightning storms on Thursday and Friday. Eight more people were ki ... read more

WEATHER REPORT
Scientists sound alarm as Trump reshapes US research landscape

Bridging Earth and space, and art and science, with global voices

US Space Force awards L3Harris new contract option for deep space tracking system modernization

Northrop Grumman completes milestone undocking of MEV-1 in GEO orbit

WEATHER REPORT
Putin praises Musk, compares him to Soviet space hero

Rocket Lab tapped for major defense contracts to advance hypersonic testing

Outpost awarded contract to develop reentry shield tech for space-based cargo delivery

NASA adds critical stage adapter to Artemis II Moon rocket

WEATHER REPORT
Just Keep Driving - Sols 4507-4508

NASA's Perseverance Mars Rover Studies Trove of Rocks on Crater Rim

Molten core may hold key to Mars' uneven magnetic past

A step closer to Martian habitability as lichens endure simulated surface conditions

WEATHER REPORT
Microbial profile mapped aboard China space station

China highlights major strides in moon research and exploration

Space station advances muscle and semiconductor science

China logs 15th orbital mission with launch of Tianlian II-04

WEATHER REPORT
Beyond Gravity and Rocket Lab join forces to streamline satellite constellation deployment

Space Collision Threat Fuels Urgency in Orbital Safety Market

SpaceX launches 27 Starlink satellites into low-Earth orbit

Musk announces Starlink license for Somalia

WEATHER REPORT
British Steel abandons job cut plans after govt rescue

Meta to start using Europeans' data for AI training May 27

Cambodia's Chinese casino city bets big on Beijing

Velo3D secures five-year $15 million deal with Momentus to expand AM capabilities

WEATHER REPORT
How alien energy patterns may reveal extraterrestrial life

Scientists uncover why carbon-rich space rocks rarely reach Earth

In the quest for alien life, even empty results hold value

SwRI study reveals exotic chemistry of superheated sub-Neptune TOI-270 dwar

WEATHER REPORT
On Jupiter, it's mushballs all the way down

20 years of Hubble data reveals evolving weather patterns on Uranus

NASA's Hubble Telescope May Have Uncovered a Triple System in the Kuiper Belt

NASA's Europa Clipper Leverages Mars for Critical Gravity Assist

Subscribe Free To Our Daily Newsletters




The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2024 - Space Media Network. All websites are published in Australia and are solely subject to Australian law and governed by Fair Use principals for news reporting and research purposes. AFP, UPI and IANS news wire stories are copyright Agence France-Presse, United Press International and Indo-Asia News Service. ESA news reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. All articles labeled "by Staff Writers" include reports supplied to Space Media Network by industry news wires, PR agencies, corporate press officers and the like. Such articles are individually curated and edited by Space Media Network staff on the basis of the report's information value to our industry and professional readership. Advertising does not imply endorsement, agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by Space Media Network on any Web page published or hosted by Space Media Network. General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) Statement Our advertisers use various cookies and the like to deliver the best ad banner available at one time. All network advertising suppliers have GDPR policies (Legitimate Interest) that conform with EU regulations for data collection. By using our websites you consent to cookie based advertising. If you do not agree with this then you must stop using the websites from May 25, 2018. Privacy Statement. Additional information can be found here at About Us.