A major snow episode is hitting France this Thursday. Many departments, particularly in the north, have been placed on orange alert for snow and ice by Météo-France.
The cold has returned to France this week. This Thursday, snow is forecast in several departments. In the 6 a.m. Météo-France bulletin, 54 departments have been placed on orange alert, including 33 for snow and ice. They are mainly located in the north of the country and in the Alps. 21 are on orange alert for "strong winds", up to 130km/h. The first flakes have already fallen at dawn in Orne or Ille-et-Vilaine for example.
The departments concerned by the snow and ice warning are as follows: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Aube, Calvados, Cher, Côte-d'Or, Côtes-d'Armor, Doubs, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Manche, Haute-Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Orne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Sarthe, Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Maritime, Yvelines, Vosges, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d'Oise.
This episode is caused by storm Caetano. This storm will cross France from west to east and cause an early winter episode that is significant enough to make driving conditions difficult in the regions concerned. 5 to 10 cm of snow are often expected in the plains, locally up to 20 cm from the first heights between Normandy, Centre, Burgundy and southern Alsace (…) In Ile-de-France, we expect 1 to 5 cm, locally 5 to 10 cm in the south of the region”, announced Météo-France. According to La Chaine Météo, in the evening, "the disturbance is moving towards the east and the Northern Alps with snowfall in Burgundy and Franche-Comté".
Latest updates
09:10 – At what time will it snow according to the departments ?
It started snowing a little before dawn in the west of the country. This morning, it will snow in Brittany, in the north of Pays de la Loire and in Lower Normandy. Gradually, the snow disturbance will shift eastwards to reach Île-de-France in the middle of the day. The Centre-Val-de-Loire will also be affected. Snowflakes will also fall in the Grand Est and in Burgundy during the afternoon. The snow will leave the west, then the Île-de-France, between 4pm and 7pm. In the evening, until late at night, it should however continue to snow in the east of the country.
08:55 – Will the snow hold ?
A major snowfall is hitting France this Thursday. Will the snow stick to the ground ? Sometimes, the snow disappears before it even solidifies. It is the temperature that is a determining factor. According to La Chaîne Météo, this morning, “the minimum temperatures (on the ground) were close to 0°C to -1°C this morning in the regions where the disturbance is arriving”. The snow could therefore hold for a while.
08:50 – First flakes have already fallen!
Early this morning, the first flakes started to fall in the Orne. Between 5 and 10cm are expected in the department. Likewise in Ille-et-Vilaine. In the morning, these snowfalls should extend to Upper Normandy, the Paris region, Centre-Val-de-Loire, Burgundy.
08:42 – 33 departments placed on orange alert for snow and ice
Snow will fall this Thursday. Météo-France in its 6 a.m. bulletin placed 33 departments on orange alert for snow and ice. The departments concerned are: Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, Hautes-Alpes, Aube, Calvados, Cher, Côte-d'Or, Côtes-d'Armor, Doubs, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Ille-et-Vilaine, Loir-et-Cher, Loiret, Manche, Haute-Marne, Mayenne, Nièvre, Orne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Sarthe, Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Seine-Maritime, Yvelines, Vosges, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d'Oise. 21 departments are on orange alert for wind.
20/11/24 – 23:58 – The number of departments on alert increases to 52
Météo-France has placed 33 departments on orange alert for a risk of snow and ice and 19 on orange alert for strong winds in its vigilance bulletin published at 11 p.m. this Wednesday.
Météo-France revised its forecasts this Wednesday evening at 11 p.m. In its latest bulletin, the meteorological service indicates that 52 departments are now on orange alert for snow, ice or wind on Thursday, November 21. In detail, Seine-Maritime has been moved to orange for snow and ice, while Finistère and Morbihan joined the group of departments on orange alert for wind on Thursday.
20/11/24 – 22:16 – Around fifty departments on orange alert for snow or ice on Thursday. wind
In detail, Météo-France announced in its 4 p.m. bulletin, which did not change during the evening, that 49 departments were placed on orange alert either for snow or wind tomorrow. To find out if you are affected, find without further delay the Météo-France alert map below. Note that With the exception of the Hautes-Alpes and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, which are on orange snow-ice alert, the southernmost departments are on wind alert, while those in the north are on snow-ice alert. Loire-Atlantique and Allier, both on wind alert, separate the two groups.