Rain on snow event in the French Alps

Observation by Julienne Stroeve:

This is an example of an extreme rain-on-snow event. The striations are likely drainage channels from heavy rainfall that was more intense at lower elevations.

Comment by Andrew Barrett of NSIDC:

I assumed the striations were drainage channels - runnels - from the rain rather than wind. You see similar texture during the melt season on steeper slopes. I think Tad Pfeffer has a paper in Journal of Glaciology on them.

LEO Network editors:

See this Journal of Glaciology link for articles by Tad Pfeffer.

For more on Rain-on-Snow events, see the Arctic Rain on Snow Study (AROSS) Map here