A numerical model has been developed to simulate energy and mass evolution of snow cover at a given location , as a function of meteorological conditions: precipitation, air temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and incoming short-wave and long-wave radiation.This model, named CROCUS, was first tested on a well-instrumented field during a whole winter, showing its ability to simulate the important phenomena affecting the evolution of the snow layers: high temperature gradients, wetting, compaction, and melting-freezing cycles. A second test was conducted at two locations in the French network used for operational avalanche forecasting . Though the weather observations are made there only twice daily, the snow profiles calculated by the model were very close to those obtained once a week by a pit observation . CROCUS proved itself sufficient to be considered now as a useful objective tool for operational avalanche forecasting .

ABSTRACT. A numerical model has been developed to simulate energy and mass evolution of snow cover at a given location , as a function of meteorological conditions: precipitation, air temperature, humidity, wind velocity, and incoming short-wave and long-wave radiation.This model, named CROCUS, was first tested on a well-instrumented field during a whole winter, showing its ability to simulate the important phenomena affecting the evolution of the snow layers: high temperature gradients, wetting, compaction, and melting-freezing cycles. A second test was conducted at two locations in the French network used for operational avalanche forecasting . Though the weather observations are made there only twice daily, the snow profiles calculated by the model were very close to those obtained once a week by a pit observation . CROCUS proved itself sufficient to be considered now as a useful objective tool for operational avalanche forecasting .

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