Roads, Alti Aigoual station, weather: how do we prepare for the winter cold episode in the Gard

Pour ouvrir, la station Alti Aigoual espère avoir suffisamment de neige qui tombe mercredi 10 janvier. Archive MIKAËL ANISSET

Le froid sera véritablement de retour dans le Gard à partir de mardi 9 janvier. Et il pourrait même y avoir de la neige sur l'Aigoual.

Winter is setting in in the Gard with plummeting temperatures. "This Monday, January 8, we are already 4 to 5 degrees below seasonal norms", indicates Julien Sugier of the Météo Gard website. The strong gusts of wind, particularly up to 90 km/h near the Rhône, caused the temperature felt to drop, which doesn't help anything!

As for the snow, it's not yet this time in Nîmes and its surroundings. And to think that on January 8, 2010, 20 cm of snow covered the Camargue…

Julien Sugier confirms that the snowflakes are announced at higher altitude this time: "Several media are announcing it but it is almost certain that there will not be of snow precipitation at low altitudes. We may see widespread frosts in the Gard, without excess. On the other hand, on Wednesday January 10, we can expect precipitation in the form of snow from 500 meters above sea level as well as on Mont Aigoual with larger quantities.

Alti Aigoual waiting

At the start of the week, the latest forecasts are heartwarming for the Alti Aigoual team, as Denis Boissière, co-manager of the station, indicates: "We are forecasting snow for Wednesday but I remain cautious. To open the resort and the alpine ski and toboggan runs next weekend (Alti Aigoual received administrative authorizations for this from December 7, Editor's note), a minimum of 15 cm of natural snow would be required. and 10 cm of safety snow. It is more consistent, more loaded with water."

At the start of the week, members of Alti Aigoual prepared the ground to use safety snow that will hold up with the expected negative temperatures. The resort is preparing to welcome participants in the Hivern'Aigoual Trail on Sunday January 14, from 9:30 a.m., on the Prat Peyrot site: "The best conditions for runners, This is when there is powder. Last year, the edition took place without snow. There, if 30 cm falls, I'll take it too. The snow groomers will make it possible to still organize the event, says Denis Boissière.

Winter service plan

This winter cold which is settling in the Gard also mobilizes the territorial units of the Gard Departmental Council which maintain the 4,600 km of the road network, as well as the service of the Interdepartmental Roads Directorate which manages the axes national, without forgetting Vinci Autoroutes in charge of the A9 and A54.  

Each year, the Department activates its Winter Viability Plan with sixty machines, 40 agents in the Cévennes sector, a figure which can rise to more than 300 throughout Gard in case of severe weather.

The PVH, with its management center on permanent alert, makes it possible to treat icy or snowy roads to free up priority access to educational establishments, hospitals and public services, to also clear major roads first, then the rest of the network (735 departmental roads in total in the department).

This Winter Service Plan was launched on November 18 and will end on March 17. Before hitting the road this week, it will be better to consult the site inforoute30.fr.

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