WEATHER: Meteo France is expecting up to 5 cm of snow on the departments on an orange alert, a phenomenon followed by freezing rain
Part of France is placed this Thursday on an orange alert for snow, ice and extreme cold by Meteo France, while the east of the country is facing freezing temperatures, up to -20 degrees felt.
Twenty-two departments are on snow and ice alert, from Finistère to Isère, via Creuse and Puy-de-Dôme. Meteo France expects “snow accumulations of up to 5 cm in the departments with an orange alert and then a serious evolution of precipitation into freezing rain, the drops of which at negative temperature freeze instantly on contact with the ground”.
By Friday evening, 5 to 10 cm of snow are even expected “on the north of Auvergne and the Loire, as well as on the north of Drôme and Ardèche, Isère south of Voiron. In the other Rhône-Alpes departments, we expect 10 to 15 cm, or even more locally ”, adds Meteo France.
The northeast wind accentuates the feeling of cold
On the temperature side, the east of the country is preparing for particularly cold days, triggering an orange alert from Météo-France in 13 departments. The mercury this Thursday at dawn was between -10 and -14 degrees, locally less. “We are rather between -6 and -9 degrees in the sectors of Dijon, Gray and Verdun, Metz,” says Meteo France. The north-easterly wind will be an aggravating factor, greatly increasing the feeling of cold. The feeling in the colder areas will reach -15 to -20 degrees.
For Friday, the minimum temperatures will be between -7 degrees and -12 degrees, the maximums between -2 degrees and 1 degree. The wind will still be sensitive, a little stronger than the day before. This wind will accentuate the feeling of cold. The feeling will be between -14 and -19. For the weekend, the weather will remain freezing, with minimum temperatures sometimes below -10 degrees and locally without thaw during the day.
