Motorists stuck on the highway, canceled trains, suspended school buses… Winter storm Caetano moves eastward on Friday, November 22 after causing chaos in transportation. Météo-France still warns of a risk of refreezing in the northern half. Although the snowfall, which is rather unusual in the west of France, has decreased significantly, it has had significant consequences. 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”. Follow our live stream.
Traffic conditions still difficult. Restrictions on road transport apply in certain areas. Dozens of motorists and truckers were also still blocked by snow around 5 a.m. on the A36 motorway, near Montbéliard, in Doubs, according to images from webcams on the Vinci autoroutes site.
The disruptions also affect trains. Cancellations are still on the agenda for Friday, warns the SNCF, while trees have fallen on the tracks in places “in Normandy, Pays de la Loire, New Aquitaine and Ile-de-France”. Trains will not run in Normandy until midday “time to pass the reconnaissance trains and carry out clearances and repairs”indicates the SNCF.
School transport has been interrupted Thursday in several western departments. This will still be the case on Friday in Mayenne and in the five Normandy departments until midday. Collective transport of children will also be prohibited in Sarthe. The Paris region, the center and the East will also be affected. Seine-et-Marne will suspend public and school transport. School lines and regular bus lines will be suspended until midday in the departments of Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir. In Loiret, traffic on school lines will be suspended until midday. In Haut-Rhin, school buses will not take place.
In the dark. More than a thousand agents from the electricity network manager are working to restore power while 270,000 people have been deprived of electricity, according to the latest Enedis report.
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