This Monday morning, residents of the Rhône woke up to an immaculate landscape. However, it was not natural snow.
This Monday, a thin white layer surprised many residents of Rhône and Isère. This phenomenon, called “industrial snow”, was observed in several sectors, including Corbas, Lentilly and Saint-Quentin-Fallavier (Isère).
Unlike traditional snow, industrial snow is not made of frozen water, but results from the condensation of pollutants in the atmosphere. These special conditions occur when fine particles emitted by human activity combine with low temperatures and high humidity.
While the Lyon metropolitan area has been on pollution alert since December 26, this phenomenon is not surprising. Although harmless to health, industrial snow has the same properties as natural snow, particularly in terms of sliding. Motorists are therefore urged to exercise caution in the affected areas.
This type of event, although rare, has also been observed recently in other French departments such as Seine-et-Marne, Loiret, Oise and Essonne. These departments were affected by similar episodes of pollution.
X
