Snowfall is still expected this Friday, November 22 in the 29 departments kept on orange alert by Météo France. But it is the refreezing and the formation of ice which pose a risk and cause disruptions on the roads and in transport.
France is still in the grip of a cold snap this Friday, November 22. If the heaviest snowfall has passed with the passage of the Caetano storm, but a few showers are still expected during the day according to Météo France which could result in a few additional centimeters of powder. But the biggest risk in most of the departments placed on orange alert this Friday is the refreezing and the formation of ice which will make the roads very slippery. Moreover, there are numerous disruptions on the roads and in transport: several kilometers of traffic jams formed during the night and motorists spent several hours in their cars without the possibility of moving forward, as on the A28 in Orne or the A36 in Doubs, while trains and other public transport, including schools, do not run in several regions such as Normandy or in the greater suburbs of Ile-de-France.
31 departments are still on orange alert this Friday, November 22 by Météo France: Haute-Corse and southern Corsica are on alert for the violent wind, but the 29 others located between Normandy and the Grand Est are on orange snow alert. icy ice until noon according to the latest forecasts. These are Aube, Calvados, Cher, Côte-d'Or, Doubs, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, of Manche, Haute-Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Orne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Sarthe, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Maritime, Yvelines, Vosges, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort, and the eight Ile-de-France departments. Between 2 and 8 cm of snow were recorded depending on the territory yesterday, and up to 10 or 15 cm locally. The still cold and sometimes negative temperatures increase the risk of icy conditions on the roads.
08:20 – No trains in Normandy until midday
The disruptions also concern rail transport this Friday, the most significant being in Normandy where no trains run until midday “time to pass the reconnaissance trains and carry out clearances and repairs”, explains the SNCF. In the Loire" rel="tag">Pays de la Loire, “traffic is gradually resuming on Nantes-Angers”, but “the other lines of the Nantes star will not be able to resume until tomorrow during the day”.
08:11 – School transport suspended in many departments
Due to icy conditions and difficulties on the roads, school transport was suspended this Friday morning in many departments: this is the case in Mayenne and Sarthe in Pays de la Loire, but also in the five Normandy departments. In Ile-de-France, all the departments of the outer suburbs have taken similar measures: Essonne, Seine-et-Marne, Val d'Oise and Yvelines. Same thing in Loir-et-Cher, in Eure-et-Loir, Loiret for the Centre-Val de Loire region and finally in Haut-Rhin.
08:03 – Motorists stopped on certain roads such as the A36 in Doubs
Disturbances were observed on the roads yesterday evening and continued to affect traffic overnight and this morning. Dozens, even a hundred, of motorists and truckers were stopped this Friday morning on the A36 near Montbéliard, in Doubs. Disturbances still visible this morning at 7 a.m. Vehicles are blocked by snow and ice. A similar situation is observed near Alençon, in Orne, on the A28 due to the presence of heavy goods vehicles on the roads despite the traffic ban. Several accidents and difficulties have also been reported on the A10, near Orléans in Loiret.
In general, the authorities recommend that residents of the 29 departments on orange snow-ice alert postpone travel that is not strictly necessary.
07:56 – After the snow, ice in the north of France this Friday
Some snowfall is still expected this Friday, particularly from Brittany and Normandy to the Grand Est, even if the heaviest has passed. “We expect at most 3 to 10 cm of snow at the end of the night and morning in Normandy” specifies the Météo France bulletin. But more than the snow, it is the refreezing and the formation of ice which presents a risk this Friday. “Temperatures are wintery with minimums between -3 and +1 degrees in the northwest as far as Poitou-Charentes as well as in Rhône-Alpes” and “widespread frosts between -5 and 0 degrees from the northeast to Massif Central” are announced.
11/21/24 – 11:58 p.m. – Paris has not seen so much snow in November for 56 years
4 cm of snow fell in the streets of the capital on Thursday, a record for a month of November since 1968. The Eiffel Tower, the Montmartre hill and the Champs Élysée were covered in snow. This should not hold, with temperatures being above 0°C, apart from a few hours tonight.
11/21/24 – 11:38 p.m. – Normandy transport largely impacted by snow
SNCF announces that train traffic is suspended on all Nomad lines in Normandy until at least Friday noon. Reconnaissance trains will run in the morning to identify possible obstacles blocking the tracks. Travelers are advised to postpone their trips.
21/11/24 – 22:57 – Airlines called to reduce their flights to Roissy
Airlines are being asked to cancel 10% of their flights to Roissy Charles-de-Gaulle. Snow invaded the slopes, which caused a number of delays during the day on Thursday. 266 snow removal and de-icing machines are mobilized at Paris-CDG and Paris-Orly, according to ADP (Aéroports de Paris), which expresses a “small concern for the future”.
21/11/24 – 22:12 – The director of Emmaüs is worried about homeless people
330,000 people are homeless in France. As snow falls over a large part of the territory, the director of Emmaüs, Lotfi Ouanezar, warns about their situation and the lack of accommodation, speaking to BFMTV. “735 homeless people died in 2024,” he recalls, adding that these people suffer in winter, but also in summer.
If you see a homeless person in distress, contact the Social Samu on 115 so that a team can find them an accommodation place.
11/21/24 – 10:01 p.m. – 38 departments on orange alert
Météo France places 38 departments on orange alert in its 10 p.m. bulletin. 31 are on alert for snow and ice and 7 for wind.
21/11/24 – 9:48 p.m. – Two injured in Puy-de-Dôme
The Puy-de-Dôme prefecture informs that “we regret a serious injury due to an impact from a heavy goods vehicle door in the professional context and a minor injury (fall of a tree on his vehicle in Mont-Dore )”. “Around forty interventions linked to bad weather” took place in the department, “mainly for falling plants or cables”.
21/11/24 – 9:47 p.m. – Puy-de-Dôme: residents are asked to stay at home
The prefect of Puy-de-Dôme, Joël Mathurin, calls on residents to “not travel if it is not necessary”. He recalls that schools were closed at the start of the afternoon to give parents time to pick up their children before traffic became complicated on the roads.
21/11/24 – 9:02 p.m. – Heavy goods vehicles banned on several national roads in Essonne
The prefect of Essonne, Frédérique Camilleri, announced that heavy goods vehicles would be banned from 9 p.m. on the RN20. “The situation is getting slightly complicated in Essonne”, where it has been snowing since this morning, she admits on BFMTV. The police chief had made the same announcement concerning the RN118
21/11/24 – 8:37 p.m. – Motorists remained stuck for several hours in the English Channel
Traffic conditions are difficult in the Channel and Normandy. Motorists were stuck for several hours on the side of the A84, waiting for a tow truck to arrive. Authorities had recommended motorists in all regions affected by snowfall to bring warm clothing, water and food in case such a situation occurs. Some even abandoned their cars on the road.
