Rockfall buries access road but stops just in front of hamlet, which had been evacuated in anticipation.

The word for it here is Schneemangel or snow shortage. There's a phrase for when the snow is plentiful too - das weisse Gold - white gold. It's a reflection of how many alpine communities depend on winter sports for their livelihoods. World Cup skiers will race on artificial snow this Saturday as the Alps see record high temperatures.

The French Alps region is getting hit hard by drought, most likely exacerbated by climate change. And that's putting the entire economy there in serious jeopardy, because where there's no water, there are no tourists. Summertime in the Alps sees tourists visit for rafting and swimming. In the winter, skiing is what attracts visitors from all over. At least one resort is trying

Water scarcity and heat are threatening two of Switzerland's main agricultural products: milk and cheese. But the shortage affects far more than cows — Swiss glaciers also feed Europe's major rivers.

Scientists are racing to collect ice cores — along with long-frozen records they hold of climate cycles — as global warming melts glaciers and ice sheets. Some say they are running out of time. And, in some cases, it's already too late.

Water levels in rivers, lakes and reservoirs across western Europe are running low, or even dry, amid the severest drought in decades which is putting stress on drinking water supplies, hampering river freight and tourism and threatening crop yields.