36 departments in the northern half of France on orange “snow-ice” or “rain-flood” alert from midnight

Two departments (Finistère and Morbihan) are placed on “rain-flood” alert and 34 departments are on snow and ice alert.

Météo France placed, on Tuesday January 16, 34 departments in the northern half of France on orange “snow-ice” vigilance and two other departments in the west of the country on orange “rain-flood” vigilance, from midnight. The forecasting organization predicts in its bulletin a “episode of freezing rain followed by an episode of snow, generally with an intermediate mild spell, over the north-eastern third of the country”adding that cumulative rainfall of 30 to 50 mm in 24 hours is expected in Finistère and Morbihan.

🔶 36 departments in Orange (https://t.co/CSYEovTI83) pic.twitter.com/FvoqCz4d5T

— VigiMétéoFrance (@VigiMeteoFrance) January 16, 2024

In detail, Finistère and Morbihan are placed on “rain-flood” vigilance. For “snow-ice” vigilance, the departments concerned are Aisne, Ardennes, Aube, Bas-Rhin, Calvados, Côte-d’Or, Eure, Eure-et-Loir, Loiret, Manche, Haute-Marne, Orne, Haut-Rhin, Haute-Saône, Marne, Meurthe-et-Moselle, Meuse, Moselle, Nord, Oise, Paris, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Yonne, Territoire de Belfort, Essonne, Hauts-de-Seine, Pas-de-Calais, Seine-Maritime, Seine-Saint-Denis, Somme, Val-de-Marne, Val-d’Oise, and the Vosges.

Météo-France also placed eighteen departments on a diagonal going from the English Channel to the Territoire de Belfort on Tuesday evening on orange “snow-ice” vigilance. “In the evening of Tuesday, light precipitation approaches the area of ​​departments in orange from the south, from Normandy to Burgundy-Franche-Comté, then progresses during the night further towards the north”specifies the published bulletin, warning against “notable freezing rain which could make driving conditions difficult”.