Snow: 1 to 3 cm in Paris, 7 cm in Essonne, limited speed… what to expect in Île-de-France this Thursday

Be careful, it's going to snow! The entire Île-de-France region has been placed by Météo France on Orange snow-ice alert for Thursday. The meteorological institute mentions an “early winter episode for the regions concerned and sufficiently notable to make traffic conditions difficult”. The snowflakes should start to fall in the Ile-de-France departments at the start of the afternoon.

According to Météo France, 1 to 3 cm of snow is possible in Paris and the inner suburbs and up to 7 cm in Essonne. “In Île-de-France, we expect 1 to 3 cm, locally 5 to 7 cm in the south of the region,” specifies the forecaster. If the orange vigilance comes into force from 6 a.m., it will probably be necessary to wait until mid-morning or even late morning to see the snowflakes fall on the region, from east to west, until the end of the morning. afternoon. The weather conditions the following night could be complicated with a refreezing phenomenon.

The speed reduced by 20km/h

The Ice Snow Plan in Île-de-France [PNVIF] moves to level two, enhanced monitoring level, from Thursday November 21 at 11 a.m., the Paris police headquarters said in a press release this Wednesday evening.

• The speed limit is lowered by 20km/h.
• The ban on overtaking maneuvers for vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes on major roads in Île-de-France.

Furthermore, Ile-de-France residents are invited to:

• Clear the snow and salt the sidewalks in front of their homes, while avoiding obstructing water drains.
• Under no circumstances touch electrical wires that have fallen to the ground.
• It is essential to install generators outside buildings.
• Do not use appliances not intended for this purpose (stove, brazier, etc.) or continuous combustion auxiliary heaters for heating. These devices should only operate intermittently.

In case of travel:

• Be careful and vigilant if you absolutely must travel.
• Choose public transport.
• Prepare your trip and your itinerary.
• Bring minimum equipment (warm clothing, food, water, etc.) in case you are forced to wait several hours on the road in your vehicle.
• Respect the traffic restrictions, the diversions put in place and the instructions given.
• Make it easier for road and highway clearing equipment to pass, in particular by parking your vehicle outside the traffic lanes.
• In the event of icy conditions, pay attention to the roadway.
• Reduce your speed and respect safety distances.
• Equip yourself with snow tires if possible: a car equipped with winter tires gains spectacularly in grip.

The RN118 will be subject to particular surveillance, more particularly between the Sèvres bridge and the junction with the A10. If the condition of the roadway were to deteriorate, the system provides:

• traffic regulation by taking lanes or closing ramps
• a closure of access to the N118 from the A10, the A86 and the Pont de Sèvres.

At this time, no information has been communicated regarding possible disruptions. Orange vigilance, however, calls for “limiting” your movements as much as possible. “Traffic conditions can quickly become very difficult across the entire network, particularly in the forestry sector where falling trees can accentuate the difficulties,” explains Météo France in its latest bulletin.

The RATP, which claims to have procedures allowing it “to limit the consequences on the operation of its lines which could be caused by snowfall or the formation of ice”, does not foresee, for the moment, any particular disruptions on its network Thursday.

“Snowfall and ice risk disrupting traffic on lines operated by Transilien,” however, warns the SNCF, on X, this Wednesday afternoon. Public transport is already expected to be disrupted this Thursday in the region due to a strike at the SNCF.

In Val-Oise, the department has set up its winter service on its 1,108 kilometers of roads. On Thursday, 130 agents including 37 on call, 24 hours a day, will be mobilized. “We have 18 salt-snow trucks and also 10 tractors as reinforcements if necessary with the support of farmers,” indicates the department.