Snow and ice will still cause disruptions this Friday, what you need to know

WEATHER – Vigilance is still required. This Thursday, November 21 in the evening, 43 departments are still on orange alert, including 31 for snow and ice and 12 for risk of wind, Météo France indicated in its latest weather bulletin. Here is the summary of the day and what to expect on Friday.

• Nearly 300,000 homes without electricity

Around 270,000 people were without power this Thursday evening due to winter storm Caetano. Although the snowfall, which is rather unusual in the west of France, has decreased significantly, it has had significant consequences.

At 6 p.m., “270,000 customers are deprived of power, particularly in Normandy (90,000), in Loire" rel="tag">Pays de la Loire (61,500) and in Centre-Val de Loire (27,000)”detailed Enedis, main manager of the electricity network in France. The public group indicated that it had mobilized 1,400 agents to restore the situation as quickly as possible.

• One serious injury, dozens of accidents

In Nantes, the fall of a tree seriously injured a motorist early this Thursday afternoon. Wind gusts exceeded 100 km/h. Listed pell-mell by the local press, numerous accidents took place on the road: a collision between three cars near Dijon with an injured woman, an overturned truck near Saint-Lô, or even a motorist who ended his journey in a stream near Beaune.

At least four accidents have been recorded in Côte-d'Or, 18 in Manche. At 9 a.m., four accidents had already required the intervention of the Orne firefighters, according to prefect Sébastien Jallet interviewed on BFMTV.

• Around thirty departments on orange alert on Friday

This Friday, 31 departments will still be placed on orange alert for snow, ice and wind, compared to around fifty on Thursday, Météo-France reported. The two departments of Corsica should experience a “ episode of very strong winds (…) until midday ».

The twenty-nine departments affected by snow and ice range from Normandy to Haut-Rhin, via Île-de-France. There may be a “ high risk of sliding phenomenon due to refreezing over a large part of the northern half of the country”warned Météo-France.

In Haute-Saône, minimum temperatures could thus fall between -8 and -9°C in places, with a risk of refreezing and “ in the morning, dangerous road phenomena »warned the prefecture.

• Traffic restrictions

In this context, precautions should be taken on the roads. In Mayenne, Vosges, Loiret, Côte d'Or and Yonne, school transport will still be interrupted until at least midday. School lines and regular bus lines will also be suspended until midday in the departments of Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir.

In Normandy, school and regular buses will be suspended at least until midday. The Paris region will also be affected: in Essonne, Yvelines, Val-d'Oise and Seine-et-Marne, school buses will not take place all day, just like in Haut-Rhin.

Vehicles are subject to precautionary measures. For example in Île-de-France, they must slow down by 20 km/h compared to the maximum authorized speed. Heavy goods vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tonnes are also prohibited from traveling on the RN20 and RN118 until midday. In the Channel, heavy goods vehicles are simply prohibited from driving on the departmental network.

On the train side, disruptions are already preventing certain lines from operating normally to go to Normandy. SNCF indicated Thursday evening that its Nomad trains will not run in the region on Friday morning. Traffic will resume at midday if weather conditions permit.

The RATP has not given precise information on its lines but many of them are affected by snow. All travelers are recommended to consult the transport site or application to find out the status of the line and potential difficulties before going to the station.

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