The 3 Valleys earlier this morning picture posted by http://chillalp.com/
Leading French ski resorts have been posting warnings in English to drivers heading to their slopes this weekend to make sure that they have snow chains and that the chains are accessible and that they know how to fit therm.
"Hitting the road this weekend? Don't forget that we expect snow falls starting tomorrow morning (about 10-15 cm according to Meteo France). Time to shine and show your wife/husband that you rock at fitting snow chains really fast!" reads a post by Tignes, accompanied by a winking emoticon and postscript, "(psss... fit them even faster by making sure they're easy to access... that is not underneath your many suitcases!)"
Of course carrying chains is one of many legal requirements for drivers in France.
The warnings come one year and one week after the infamous 'Snowmageddon Saturday' between Christmas and new year 2016 when traffic in the French Alps ground to a halt on transfer day as cars that were not properly prepared blocked roads during the snowy deluge that followed a dry December last winter too.
Resorts across Western Europe have been posting images and video of the first snowfall of the forecast deluge over the coming fortnight beginning to transform green mountainsides to white. So far the French alps and the Spanish, French and Andorran Pyrenees appear to have got the best of it, but it is early days.