the essential
Storm Caetano, which brought snowfall from west to east on Thursday, caused transport chaos and led to more than 200,000 power outages. The icy conditions are significant in several regions this Friday morning.
Chaos. The snow led to the paralysis of traffic on Thursday evening on the A36, the motorway which links Beaune to Ottmarsheim on the border with Germany. Hundreds of heavy goods vehicles and motorists found themselves stuck in the Doubs, unable to move or exit the highway and remained stranded for much of the night. The fault lies in accidents and heavy goods vehicles in awkward postures on a snow-covered roadway which has covered the landscapes of Doubs, Haute-Saône and the Territoire de Belfort in white.
❄ Mayhem on the A36 this evening where many motorists are stuck near Montbéliard. The snow continues to fall. (via @Viewsurf) pic.twitter.com/ufoQDgBnJB
— Météo Express (@MeteoExpress) https://twitter.com/MeteoExpress/status/1859716495355281915?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
Morgan, a restaurant executive, spent the night in his car, stuck on the highway. “I've been stuck since last night, 7:30 p.m. It's nonsense. The heavy goods vehicles are on the three lanes and they're in the way. I'm stuck at least until 10 a.m. this morning. The heavy goods vehicles are forbidden to ride until 10 a.m., and as there are everywhere, we won't be able to ride. I slept for an hour or two,” he told RMC. “What’s serious is that as soon as there is 3 cm of snow in France, no one is capable of managing it.”
❄️ Morgan has been stuck on the A36 near Montbéliard, “since 7:30 p.m. yesterday”. “It’s rubbish, the heavy goods vehicles get in the way on the three lanes. In France, as soon as there is 3 cm of snow, no one is able to manage,” he gets angry. he. #ApollineMatin pic.twitter.com/hPetzfz514
— RMC (@RMCInfo) https://twitter.com/RMCInfo/status/1859838985423474750?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw
At the end of the night, 150 heavy goods vehicles were still parked on the A36 around Montbéliard, indicates the prefecture, after the traffic ban order.
Dozens of road accidents took place Thursday in the snowy regions of northern Brittany in the Grand Est. In Manche, an accident on public roads left one seriously injured.
Ice, be careful, danger
The greatest caution is required this Friday morning, due to the icy conditions and the ground frozen by the cold overnight after the snowfall. In Haute-Saône, temperatures were forecast to drop to –8°C. School transport was interrupted on Thursday in several western departments, and this Friday in Yvelines and Doubs.
Traffic restrictions locally affect heavy goods vehicles weighing 7.5 tonnes this Friday, with speeds reduced by 20 km/h and overtaking bans in certain areas. This is the case in Sarthe where traffic will be prohibited on the A28 between Alençon and Le Mans in both directions. In Ile-de-France, the RN 118 is prohibited on Friday for vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes, they will not be able to overtake on the main axes of the region and for all vehicles, the speed is lowered by 20 km/h on the same axes.
The disruptions also affect rail traffic since trees have fallen on the tracks in Normandy, Pays de la Loire, Nouvelle Aquitaine and Ile-de-France.
Up to 270,000 customers without electricity
More than a thousand agents from the electricity network manager are hard at work to restore power while 270,000 people have been deprived of electricity, according to the latest report from Enedis at 6:00 p.m. Thursday.
31 departments still remain on orange snow-ice alert this Friday, November 22, from Normandy to the Grand Est.
The wind has been blowing very strongly in Corsica since the start of the day. Météo-France recorded gusts of 150 km/h on the Balagne coast, 160 to 180 km/h in the north of Cap Corse, 120 to 145 km/h in surges in Conca and Porto-Vecchio.
