Haute-Savoie has the typical climate of mountainous areas in temperate regions, with significant differences between the seasons heightened still further by the variations in altitude ranging from 250 metres to 4810 metres.

Summers are generally dry and hot; winters are cold with snowfalls.

However, because of its geomorphology, Haute-Savoie also has a multitude of microclimates.

The plains in the Annecy Basin, the area around La Roche-sur-Foron and the basin around Lake Geneva are the driest in Haute-Savoie.

In the mountains, narrow valleys such as Chamonix or Sallanches are drier than open valleys such as Thônes or Samoëns but the latter have the benefit of abundant snow.

There is a tendency to distinguish between the Land of Lakes (Annecy and Lake Geneva Basins) where the lakes regulate temperatures and give the area a temperate climate, and the Land of Mountains where the shape of the valleys determines differences in temperature and rainfall.

Finally, as everybody knows, weather conditions can change very quickly in the mountains. This makes it essential to check weather forecasts before any trip into the mountains.

Weather forecast for Haute-Savoie Weather forecast for the ski slopes