PREVESSIN-MOENS (01) 24.12.2013

An account received on 8 February 2015 describes at least 5 orange balls moving slowly and silently at 20:30 on 24 December 2014. The case title instead dates the event to 24 December 2013; both dates are retained. Orange lights crossing the sky over a few minutes on Christmas Eve strongly suggest sky lanterns released nearby. They moved southeast, whereas Geneva recorded a sustained southwest wind. Low-altitude mountain winds are difficult to model, so the source considers southeast drift compatible with that ground-level record. The witness also described looking due south toward Mont Blanc, although Mont Blanc lay southeast at azimuth 126°. An uncertainty of about 45° is therefore probable. GEIPAN classifies the case B: probable sky lanterns.