Météo France has placed 30 departments on orange alert for snow and ice, because of a “disturbance” which will begin at the end of Saturday afternoon and particularly affect the north and east of the country, at the latter end school vacation week.
“A disturbance associated with a lot of mild air will sweep across the entire country in a southwest/northeast direction this Saturday and overnight from Saturday to Sunday. In the departments in orange, 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,” indicates the meteorologists’ bulletin.
Aisne, Ardennes, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Bas-Rhin, Haut- Rhine, Seine-Maritime, Somme, Vosges and the Territoire de Belfort were already placed on orange vigilance.
The Ile-de-France departments of Orne, Eure-et-Loir, Eure, Côte-d’Or, Aube and Haute-Saône were added.
This episode will affect “the south of the area concerned at the end of the afternoon” and will leave “the northern borders at the end of the night from Saturday to Sunday”.
Météo France predicts snowfall “generally quite brief”, but warns that “it can be more persistent in the border departments of the Grand Est, possibly giving up to five centimeters to the ground”.
Freezing rain could then last “between one and three hours, which could cause traffic difficulties”.
“Traffic conditions could be delicate in the areas concerned,” also warns Bison Futé, which recommends that road users “use extra caution, and find out about changes in weather and traffic conditions before leaving.” .
