Snow all the way to the plains and temperatures worthy of January. With the arrival of storm Caetano, winter arrives on Thursday November 21 in France, where 54 departments are now placed on orange alert due to snow, ice and wind. In its bulletin published Thursday morning, Météo-France placed 33 departments on alert for “snow-ice”, mainly in the northern part of the country and in the Alps, and 21 for “strong winds”, from Loire-Atlantique to the Gironde, then on a line going to Savoie. The two departments of Corsica have been added to this list. Follow our live stream.
Snow expected almost everywhere in the north of the country. This storm “will cross France from west to east and cause an early and sufficiently notable winter episode to make traffic conditions difficult in the regions concerned”warns Météo-France. “We often wait 5 to 10 cm of snow in the plains, locally up to 20 cm from the first heights between Normandy, Center, Burgundy and southern Alsace (…) In Ile-de-France, we expect 1 to 5 cmlocally 5 to 10 cm in the south of the region”continues the agency, which adds that snowfall “are also expected at low altitude in the Southern Alps”.
Gusts over 100 km/h. The wind will blow strong with “gusts generally between 100 and 120 km/h on the coast of the departments placed on orange vigilance”even “130 to 140 km/h possible in the south of Brittany and occasionally on exposed islands and capes”. Inland, gusts should be around 100 km/h and up to “110 to 130 km/h on the Massif Central and more than 150 km/h on the highest points of the Alps”.
Limitations de circulation. In several departments, the circulation of trucks over 7.5 tonnes is restricted, with a speed reduced by 20 km/h. They are also not allowed to overtake. This applies from 6 a.m. in Calvados, Côtes-d’Armor, Ille-et-Vilaine, Manche, Morbihan, Orne and Sarthe, and from 11 a.m. in Cher, ‘Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Loir-et-Cher and Loiret. In Ile-de-France, the speed limit is lowered by 20 km/h for all vehicles.
Train lines at a standstill. School transport does not run in four Normandy departments (Orne, Calvados, Manche, Eure) and in Eure-et-Loir. Due to the strong gusts and the expected rain, the SNCF preferred to preventively stop several train lines, notably Bordeaux-La Rochelle, Limoges-Poitiers and Limoges-Périgueux.
Be careful of refreezing. For the day of Friday, 29 departments are currently placed on orange “snow-ice” vigilance, on a strip stretching from the Manche to the Doubs. “Temperatures will drop significantly and cause refreezing of the snow on the ground, making these grounds very slippery”warns Météo-France.
