in Paris, four centimeters of snow, “unheard of in 56 years” in November

Winter storm Caetano, which affected a large part of France on Thursday, left 270,000 homes without electricity and caused transport difficulties, and also caused record snowfall in Île-de-France. In Paris, according to data from Météo.data.gouv, the Paris-Montsouris station (14^e) recorded its snowiest day for a November since 1968.

Four centimeters of snow fell in the capital, unheard of in 56 years. On September 17, 1968, readings from the Paris station indicated six centimeters. Placed on orange snow-ice alert this Thursday and Friday, with a “level 2 ice snow” plan activated by local authorities.

31 departments on orange alert on Friday

The rest of Île-de-France was also affected: twenty centimeters were reached in Plessis-Gassot (Val-d'Oise), according to Météo-France, while the north of Yvelines gave rise to numerous Spectacular shots with several tens of centimeters of powder. The storm also caused significant delays at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, where the authorities asked companies to cancel 10% of their flights.

On Friday, 31 departments will still be placed on orange alert for snow, ice and wind, compared to around fifty on Thursday, Météo-France reported. The two departments of Corsica should experience a “episode of very strong winds (…) until midday”. The twenty-nine departments affected by snow and ice range from Normandy to Haut-Rhin, via Île-de-France. There may be a “high risk of sliding phenomenon due to refreezing over a large part of the northern half of the country”warned Météo-France.