Snow and ice in France: accidents and blocked roads… 24 departments still on weather alert

24 departments remain on snow and ice alert this Friday, November 22. Bad weather and freezing temperatures are causing numerous disruptions on the roads with accidents and blocked roads. Thousands of trucks are at a standstill on the motorways.

France is still in the grip of a cold snap this Friday, November 22. If the heaviest snowfalls have passed with the passage of storm Caetano, a few showers are still expected during the day according to Météo France, which could give a few centimetres of additional powder snow. But the greatest risk in most departments placed on orange alert this Friday is the refreezing and the formation of black ice which will make the roads very slippery. Moreover, there are numerous disruptions on the roads and in transport: up to 600 km of traffic jams formed during the night and this Friday morning according to Bison Futé and more than 3,000 heavy goods vehicles are stuck on two motorways: the A36 in Doubs and the A28 in Orne, which are closed to heavy goods vehicles until midday. 

24 departments are still on orange alert this Friday, November 22 by Météo France for snow and ice: these are Aube, Calvados, Côte-d'Or, Doubs, Eure, Manche, Haute-Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Orne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Seine-Maritime, Vosges, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort, and the eight Ile-de-France departments. Between 2 and 8 cm of snow were recorded depending on the territory yesterday, and up to 10 or 15 cm locally. The still cold and sometimes negative temperatures increase the risk of black ice on the roads.

Latest updates

11:20 – Agnès Pannier-Runacher launches “a call for responsibility” from truckers

Since Thursday, numerous restrictions have been put in place to anticipate the risks associated with the winter storm Caetano, particularly for heavy goods vehicles. On this subject, the Minister of Ecological Transition Agnèes Pannier-Runacher deplores a lack of vigilance on the part of certain heavy goods vehicles, the majority of which are present on the A28: “The instructions have not been followed”, she notes on BFMTV. She calls for “responsibility” from drivers, specifying that they were not decreed “to annoy people” but “to protect them”.

10:53 – The Doubs chief of staff recommends “not taking your vehicle” this morning

Along the A36 motorway, around 2,000 to 2,500 heavy goods vehicles are stuck in rest areas. Even though a lane has been cleared for light vehicles, the Doubs chief of staff, Saadia Tamelikecht, calls for vigilance on the AFP microphone: “I strongly recommend not taking your vehicle this morning in Doubs, it's dangerous” she warns. 

10:39 – Transport Minister says “weather event was correctly estimated”

Speaking to Franceinfo, the Minister of Transport, François Durovray, praised the management of bad weather: “The weather event was correctly estimated. There is a total mobilization of the teams of the “state, departments, municipalities”. He nevertheless notes some complications in the North-West of France: “The main difficulties today are in Normandy with the A28 which is closed on part of it, since heavy goods vehicles, unfortunately, have not respected the traffic ban (…) And then on the A36, in Doubs, with 150 trucks that are stuck".

For good reason, the five departments of the region (La Manche, Calvados, Orne, Seine-Maritime and Eure) have been placed on orange alert for "snow and ice" until noon according to the forecasts of Météo-France. In this sector, the powder snow reaches 15 to 20 cm due to the snow episode of Thursday, November 21.

10:21 – 24 departments on Orange Alert

In its 10 a.m. bulletin, Météo-France keeps 24 departments on orange alert for "snow and ice". Among them are: Aube, Calvados, Côte-d'Or, Doubs, Eure, Manche, Haute-Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Orne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Paris, Seine-Maritime, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Vosges, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne and Val-D'Oise. 

South of Paris, in Val-de-Marne, an accident occurred on the A6b motorway, near Chevilly-Larue. Around 11:30 p.m., six vehicles reportedly came into contact due to the weather conditions: a Blablacar bus, four passenger cars and a motorbike were involved. In total, twenty people were injured and five of them are in critical condition.

“The exact circumstances of this accident are not known, I asked to the firefighters concerned to provide me with information. Unless I am mistaken, there are no “too many” victims, and obviously no deaths in this accident. “I am expecting information any minute now,” said the Minister of Transport, François Durovray, on BFMTV.

09:46 – Motorists forced to sleep on the motorway

Many reports speak of difficult traffic conditions, some motorists have been stuck for long hours on the road network due to snowfall. One of them has been stuck on the A36 (Doubs) since yesterday evening at 9 p.m.: “We haven't seen anyone, no departmental management, no police officers,” he declared on France Bleu Besançon.

This morning again on the A36 and the A28 (Normandy), 1,750 heavy goods vehicles were trapped by snow and ice according to the Minister of Transport, François Durovray.

09:32 – Train traffic is disrupted in Alsace

In Alsace, train traffic is largely disrupted due to weather conditions. The entire Haut-Rhin region has already been placed under orange alert for “snow and ice” by Météo-France this Friday, November 22, with powder snow reaching 25 centimeters in Sundgau. These snowfalls have had consequences on transport between Strasbourg and Basel with delays of “60 to 120 minutes and cancellations expected” according to the railway company. It still hopes for a return to normal by 10 a.m.

09:11 – 200,000 homes still without electricity this Friday

Another 200,000 homes are without electricity this Friday morning due to bad weather, Minister Agnès Pannier-Runacher announced on BFMTV-RMC. The regions most affected are Normandy (69,000 households impacted), Pays de la Loire (37,000) and Centre-Val de Loire (22,000) according to details given by Enedis in a press release. But the situation should take time before returning to normal. normal, because it is “not possible to intervene everywhere” due to the weather conditions. However, electricity should return “by tomorrow evening for 90% of homes” according to the Minister of Energy.

09:00 – A section of the A28 closed after heavy goods vehicle accidents

Traffic difficulties affect a large part of the north of the country, but some roads are particularly affected, such as the A28, in a section where it is closed after heavy goods vehicle accidents occurred. The latter were prohibited from driving on this road, but vehicles “unfortunately did not respect” indicated the Minister Delegate of Transport, François Durovray, on Franceinfo. The Minister of Energy, Agnès Pannier-Runacher reacted more strongly on BFMTV-RMC by assuring that the instructions that "were not followed" were not decreed "to annoy people (but) to protect them".

08:48 – Nearly 600 km of traffic jams in cause of snow and ice

The presence of snow and ice on the roads this morning is causing a lot of traffic jams in France, according to the specialist website Bison Futé nearly 600 km of traffic jams were recorded at 8 am. In the Ile-de-France region alone, the traffic jams extend over 150 km according to the website. The traffic jams are 200 km long in the North and West of the country. Bison Futé notes an “unusual” congestion due to weather conditions.

08:40 – Where are the roads frozen this Friday ?

While the first snowfalls generally brighten the heart, they cause complications on the roads, especially when refreezing and black ice form on the thin films of water left by the snow or under the snow. However, refreezing is affecting a large part of the north of the country this Friday morning with minimum temperatures between -3 and 1. The risk of black ice on the roads mainly concerns a strip running from west to east: from Normandy to Alsace and Franche-Comté. as specified by La Chaine Météo.

08:29 – A few flakes expected between Normandy, Ile-de-France and Grand Est

The snowfall expected this Friday will not be comparable to that observed yesterday, but it could bring a few additional centimeters of snow according to Mét&eacuteo France. According to La Chaine Meteo, the snowflakes will fall between Normandy and the Grand Est region, passing through the Paris region.

08:20 – No trains in Normandy until noon

The disruptions also affect rail transport this Friday, the most significant being in Normandy where no trains are running until midday “the time for reconnaissance trains to pass and clearances and repairs to be carried out”, explains the SNCF. In the Pays de la Loire,  "traffic is gradually resuming on Nantes-Angers", but "the other lines of the éétoile de Nantes will not be able to resume before tomorrow during the day".

08:11 – School transport suspended in many departments

Due to the traffic jams and difficulties on the roads, school transport was suspended this Friday morning in many departments: this is the case in Mayenne and Sarthe in the Pays de la Loire, but also in the five Norman departments. In Ile-de-France, all the departments of the outer suburbs have taken similar measures: Essonne, Seine-et-Marne, Val d'Oise and Yvelines. Same thing in Loir-et-Cher, Eure-et-Loir, Loiret for the Centre-Val de Loire region and finally in Haut-Rhin.

Disruptions were observed on the roads yesterday evening and continued to affect traffic this night and this morning. Dozens, even a hundred, of motorists and truckers were at a standstill this Friday morning on the A36 near Montbéliard, in Doubs. Disruptions still visible this morning at 7 am. Vehicles are blocked by snow and ice. A similar situation is observed at Alençon, in Orne, on the A28 due to the presence of heavy goods vehicles on the roads despite the traffic ban. Several accidents and difficulties are also reported on the A10, near Orléans in Loiret.

Generally speaking, the authorities recommend that residents of the 29 departments on orange alert for snow and ice postpone travel that is not strictly necessary.

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