The north-east of France is hit by a disturbance bringing snow and ice this Saturday evening. Twenty-two departments are placed on orange vigilance. “A disturbance associated with a lot of mild air will sweep across the entire country in a southwest/northeast direction this Saturday and overnight from Saturday to Sunday. In the departments in orange, this disturbance will encounter a mass of cold air, causing snowfall and especially freezing rain for a few hours, until the mild air takes over definitively,” indicates the meteorologists' bulletin.
Snowfall “generally quite brief”
Aisne, the Ardennes, the Marne, Haute-Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, the Meuse, the Moselle, the North, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, the Bas-Rhin, the Haut-Rhin, Seine-Maritime, the Somme, the Vosges et the Territory of Belfort were first placed on orange alert, before being joined by the Ile-de-France departments, l’Orne, Eure-et-Loir, Eure, the Gold Coast, Dawn et Haute-Saône.
Around 5 p.m., the first precipitation reached the Orne in the form of “locally freezing” rain according to Météo-France. Temperatures fell below 0°C in the east of the department and in Eure-et-Loir and fell to -4°C in Dijonnais. But from 8 p.m., Eure-et-Loir and Orne returned to yellow alert. From 10 p.m., part of Île-de-France, including Paris, also returned to yellow vigilance.
Météo-France predicts snowfall “generally quite brief”, but warns that “they can be more persistent in the border departments of the Grand Est, possibly dropping up to five centimeters on the ground”. Freezing rain could then last “between one and three hours, which could cause traffic difficulties”.
“Delicate” traffic conditions
“Traffic conditions could be delicate in the areas concerned,” also warns Bison Futé, who calls on road users to “use extra caution, as well as to find out about changes in weather and traffic conditions before traveling. leave “. In Côte-d'Or, traffic was prohibited for around fifteen km on the A38, west of Dijon, the freezing rain having made the roadway very slippery, according to the prefecture. On the A6, several material accidents were observed, in particular near Beaune where the motorway was cut to facilitate emergency intervention.
In several regions, authorities have limited the speeds allowed on the roads. In Île-de-France, the speed is lowered by 20 km/h from 5 p.m. to midnight, on the entire network, except the ring road. The police headquarters recommends favoring public transport, equipping your car with snow tires and providing “minimum equipment (warm clothing, food, water)”.
In Hauts-de-France, between Saturday 7 p.m. and Sunday 6 a.m., vehicles weighing less than 3.5 tonnes will have to limit their speed to 110 km/h on sections of motorway normally limited to 130 km/h and 90 km /h on sections of motorways and national roads normally limited to 110 km/h. Vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes must not exceed 80 km/h on national roads and motorways in the region and will be prohibited from overtaking. Same ban on overtaking and reduced speed of 20 km/h for those weighing more than 7.5 tonnes in Eure.
In Côte-d'Or, Doubs, Jura and Territoire de Belfort, Marne, Haute-Marne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône and Vosges, these heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes are prohibited from driving until 10 p.m.
An accident in Corrèze possibly linked to ice
In Corrèze, a department not yet classified as vigilant, an accident involving a heavy goods vehicle and three cars occurred at 8 a.m. on the A89 between the Egletons and Ussel-Ouest exits, according to Vinci Autoroutes, causing one minor injury. The accident could have been caused by freezing rain that fell in the area. The A89 was then cut for 2h30 in the Bordeaux-Clermont direction, causing traffic jams.
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