Snow and ice return to northern France

Anyone hoping for some meteorological respite after the recent flooding in several areas of France is in for disappointment, as winter returned with a bang in the north at the weekend - and continues into the new working week.

Residents in parts of Nord and Pas-de-Calais departments woke on Sunday to find their town carpeted under a couple of centimetres of snow for the third time since the start of 2021. The conditions were not a surprise as Météo France had forecast snow in the region for several days.

The snow on Monday will be followed by a cold spell, with the prospect of weather alerts for ice as temperatures drop as low as -7C overnight on Tuesday in northern parts of France.

The far north of France will see below-par temperatures for this time of year for several days, with temperatures 5C below normal and dropping below -5C overnight for several days. Temperatures are expected to fall as low as -12C in parts of the historic Artois region.

Neighbouring regions should avoid the worst of the drop in temperatures, though the mercury will be lower than usual, compared with previous years.