Sixteen departments in the north-east of the country placed on orange snow-ice vigilance from Saturday evening

“A winter episode requiring special attention” should begin in the evening, warns Météo-France.

Météo-France placed 16 departments in the north-east of France on orange snow-ice alert on Saturday January 4. “A winter episode requiring special attention” must begin in the evening, warns the institute bulletin. The departments concerned are Aisne, Ardennes, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Bas-Rhin , Haut-Rhin, Seine-Maritime, Somme, Vosges and the Territoire de Belfort. They will go into orange vigilance from Saturday evening.

“A disturbance associated with a lot of mild air will sweep across the entire country in a southwest/northeast direction” Saturday and during the night from Saturday to Sunday, reports Météo-France. “This disturbance will encounter a mass of cold air, causing snowfall and especially freezing rain for a few hours, until the mild air gains definitively”further specifies the meteorological site. Météo-France calls for a “special vigilance”, because the “Ice, even in small quantities, can be particularly annoying for road traffic”.