A little taste of winter is coming to the north of France, with roads likely to become slippery. Even if Météo France does not speak of an exceptional event, it is better to remain vigilant. From this Wednesday, January 8, 2025 at 6 a.m., an orange alert for snow and ice has been launched for five northern departments. This could make daily life and traveling there a little more complicated.
Who should be worried?
As of this afternoon, some departments are on orange alert for snow and ice. There Seine-Maritime opens the ball to 14hthen it's the turn of theOiseof the Sommeof Norda you Pas-de-Calais from 16h. The idea is for everyone to be prepared for the expected snowfall.
Meanwhile, the Calvados is also on orange alert, but for flooding this time (watch out for the section of the Orne). Authorities are keeping an eye on the situation to avoid troublesome flooding.
What does Météo France predict?
Forecasts predict that rain will turn into snow between Haute-Normandie and Hauts-de-France. According to Météo France, “this afternoon, the precipitation is moving towards the north where it is chilly”. We wait between 5 and 10 cm snow in general, but locally it could rise to 10-15 cm in Hauts-de-France. And in Pas-de-Calais, we even talk about spikes around the 20 cm !
Other departments further south could also see a few flakes fall, but nothing too bad except perhaps for Aisne where you will still have to be careful.
Disrupted transport: what to know?
With all this snow arriving, school transport is suspended in Hauts-de-France for today. Bison Futé warns that “traveling could be difficult” in the areas concerned. Public services are monitoring this closely with Météo France and could decide to ban certain roads if necessary.
For those who have to go out (or who hoped to escape), caution is the mother of safety! Also don't forget to check the latest weather information before hitting the road.
When will it calm down?
According to the forecast, this winter blast should begin to dissipate overnight. Snowfall will decrease until it disappears around 12 p.m. Thursday. With a little luck, we can get back to our little habits without too much delay, even if a few small problems may linger here and there.
This type of episode reminds us that it is better to be prepared when Mother Nature decides to mess with our daily lives. So let's keep our eyes open to minimize these winter inconveniences and ensure our collective safety in the face of seasonal vagaries!
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