Much of France woke up this Thursday under a marked winter atmosphere, with 53 of the hundred departments of the country on yellow alert for snow and ice, according to Météo France.
Although the first snowfall was recorded on Wednesday afternoon, authorities warn that the coldest day of the week is yet to come.
In statements to the BFMTV channel, the Minister of Transport, Philippe Tabarot, stressed that “we must anticipate, prevent and inform”, and added that “more significant difficulties are expected this weekend”.
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Snowfall extends from the east of the country to the Massif Central and the Pyrenees. At altitudes above 1,000 meters, up to 10 centimeters of snow have already accumulated in the Jura and Vosges massifs (border with Switzerland), while in the Doubs department (near Switzerland) between 4 and 5 centimeters are recorded above 800 meters.
The situation is particularly delicate in Lorraine (east), Burgundy (east) and Normandy (west), where the formation of ice patches on the road, known as black ice, is feared due to the overnight rains, which requires extreme caution when driving.
In the Pyrenees, snow is frequent from 600 to 800 meters above sea level. In the alpine departments, already under alert for snow and ice, a warning for avalanche risk has also been added.
Friday’s weather will bring a slightly drier period, before the arrival of a new episode of rainfall and snowfall during the weekend.
Snowfalls will intensify in the east of the country, also in Normandy and in areas near the Pyrenees. According to forecasts, Saturday could become the third coldest day of the year and the coldest November 22nd since 1999.
This winter episode arrives a year after the notable snowfall that surprised Paris on November 21, 2024, when four centimeters fell in the capital, the largest accumulation recorded in a November since 1968.
