The Episode of Snow and Cold Weather Continues: 10 Departments on Orange Alert

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10 Departments on Orange alert for snow and ice

Wednesday noon, 10 departments of the Île-de-France and the East were still placed on orange alert for snow and ice.vigilance is exercised in the Centre and Normandy.

In the wake of ‘traffic jams around Paris , many Parisians are preparing to leave their vehicles at the garage Wednesday, February 7. Of new snow are expected in the morning in the Ile-de-France but also in the northern half of the country, following a cold episode that continues throughout the territory .

The snowfall “significant and lasting” makes difficult traffic conditions on an roads from the Loire and Poitou the Ardennes, passing through the Ile-de-France, according to Meteo France, which maintained this Wednesday morning 25 departments on orange alert for snow and ice . At noon, 10 departments were still placed on alert.  It is the entire Île-de-France, the Yonne and Aube.

Fall of temperatures expected




Tuesday at 11pm, Meteo France has identified 6 centimeters in Tours, 7 cm at Paris-Montsouris, 9 cm in Blois, 11 cm in Orleans, 13 cm in Chartres. The institute expects on Tuesday morning 7 to 15 cm in the departments placed in orange alert and up to 20 cm locally.

“We’re on a snow-building scenario while holding is facilitated by temperatures a little lower,” said AFP Emmanuel Demaël, forecaster at Meteo France. The situation could become critical in the night from Wednesday to Thursday with falling temperatures – down to minus 10 degrees – and the appearance of “frozen” on the snowy ground, he added.

Snow and ice orange alert affecting 10 departments in France
The gardens of the Palais Royal in the snow, February 6, 2018 (© AFP / GERARD JULIEN)

739 kilometres of traffic jams recorded in the Île-de-France

In Ile-de-France, a peak of 739 kilometres of traffic jams was recorded on Tuesday shortly before 7.30pm by the site traffic information Sytadin before initiating reflux, less than 500 km at 9.45pm. Buses to Paris and its suburbs were all recalled during the early evening.

Down the hill of Montmartre in skiing, February 6, 2018
Down the hill of Montmartre in skiing, February 6, 2018 (© AFP / ALAIN JOCARD)

Transport disrupted

This remarkable first snowfall of the season, after a month of unusually mild January also causes disruptions in transportation.

The school bus will not run on Wednesday in several departments, including Orne, east of Eure, in Seine-Saint-Denis, in Essonne, near Paris, the Seine-et-Marne, Marne and the region Center-Loire valley.

The SNCF has reduced the speed of its trains on part of its network, causing significant delays while the Atlantic LGV suffered disruption.

In Ile-de-France, on the main roads, traffic was banned from 2pm on Tuesday to vehicles over 7.5 tonnes that were around the area or stop on the 43 truck storage areas, according to police headquarters, inviting individuals to limit their road trips.

The gardens of Versailles in the snow, February 6, 2018
The gardens of Versailles in the snow, February 6, 2018 (© AFP / FRANCOIS GUILLOT)

Cold alert

The Eiffel Tower was closed on Tuesday because of weather conditions. Orly airport was unusually left open until at least 0.30am against 11.30pm, usually to allow planes to take off.

Twenty-two departments, including the eight Ile-de-France, North and Rhone have activated since Monday their “cold alert” for the accommodation of homeless. With the key opening a thousand emergency accommodation places, in addition to 13,000 already planned for the winter: 649 additional places by IDF, 110 in a gym in Lyon …

Friday could see the arrival of a new snow disruption, this time coming from the northwest, affecting a whole section of the Hauts-de-France Limousin up through the Ile-de-France.

 

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