The Caetano storm has arrived in France: 54 departments on orange alert for snow, ice and wind, an update on the forecasts

The cold has arrived in France and so has the Caetano storm. According to the latest bulletin of Vigi Meteo France54 departments are placed on orange vigilance for “snow-ice” et “vent”. Temperatures will also be low in much of the country.

Snow and wind

In total, 33 departments are concerned by snow and ice vigilance and 21 others for wind. “Storm Caetano crosses France from west to east and causes a major air mass conflict. North of the low pressure minimum, snowfall down to the plains is forecast until the evening of Thursday, between northern Brittany/Normandy, Centre-Val-de-Loire, Ile-de-France, Burgundy, Franche-Comté and Alsace “indicates the weather station.

“We often expect 5 to 10 cm in the plains, locally up to 20 cm from the first heights between Normandy, Center, Burgundy and southern Alsace. These snowfalls will be accompanied by a fairly strong easterly wind over lower Normandy, causing snowdrifts to form in places, particularly towards Perche. In Ile-de-France, we expect 1 to 5 cm in general, and 5 to 10 cm in the south of the region.adds Vigi Météo France.

As for the wind, “inland, gusts are generally around or exceed 100 km/h in the departments on orange alert, with peaks around 110 to 120 km/h in places. On the relief , we will be able to reach 110 to 130 km/h on the Massif Central and more than 150 km/h on the peaks of the Alps.we can read on the site. Corsica should see the wind pick up on the island, with gusts of nearly 180 km/h.

According to Météo France, the situation could still evolve. “Whether for the 'snow' risk or the 'wind' risk, certain departments concerned at the margins could see their level of vigilance worsened”underlines the site.

29 departments in orange on Friday

If an improvement is expected for the first day of the weekend, 29 departments should still be placed on orange alert from Friday morning: 27 for snow-ice, only Corsica will be affected by the wind.

“Subsequently, during the night from Thursday to Friday, new snow showers will occur in the departments near the Channel, some of which may reach the north of the Paris region. More generally, temperatures will drop noticeably and generate refreezing of the snow on the ground, therefore making these floors very slippery”notes the weather station.