Motorists urged to avoid travel as snow turns to ice

Drivers in the Île-de-France have again been urged not to make unnecessary car journeys after sub-zero overnight temperatures turned settled snow and slush into ice following record-breaking snowstorms.

The eight departments in the region, Paris (Seine), Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-et-Marne, Yvelines, Essonne and Val d'Oise - along with Ariège in the southwest of the country - are on orange alert on Thursday due to the danger of ice, national forecaster Météo France said.

But there was some slight relief on Thursday for commuters who use the rail network to get to work. SNCF has said two out of three scheduled trains would run throughout the day. On Wednesday, one in two services were cancelled.

TGV services were running, but passengers have been warned to expected delays due to reduced speed limits due to the freezing temperatures.

As reported, the record snowfall in the region on Tuesday evening into Wednesday, led to travel chaos, with thousands of commuters stranded in their cars overnight on Tuesday.

Some roads, including the N118 south of Paris remain closed, with about 80 of the 950 vehicles that were abandoned on Tuesday night still to be cleared.

On Wednesday, Mayor Anne Hidalgo admitted Paris had a "problem" with "the … vulnerability of transport networks".

"All public services throughout the region need to be far better prepared for exceptional events," she told French television.

It was not all bad news, however, with social media users sharing some impressive images of the capital under the snow.

Look at that beautiful white coat covering the city! We love #Paris in the snow. ❄️ Thanks for sharing your snowy pictures #neige pic.twitter.com/RSJXk6qWpw

— Paris Je t'aime (@ParisJeTaime) February 5, 2018

Meanwhile, some Parisians found the perfect way to get about without a car.

#skiing to work in Le Chesnay, #Paris #France this morning anyone ?? Theses people thought it was a good idea... source; @Meteovilles #neige #ExtremeWeather #ParisNeige pic.twitter.com/dOMkgcJnCA

— WEATHER/ METEO WORLD (@StormchaserUKEU) February 7, 2018

I've heard of walking to work but #skiing erm this was this morning from #Montmartre to #Paris #France heavy #snow covered ten ground... #neige #ExtremeWeather video Basile Ducournau report: @Meteovilles https://t.co/j6XzxZ0Hvd pic.twitter.com/IMvPYYIzlz

— WEATHER/ METEO WORLD (@StormchaserUKEU) February 7, 2018

Once in a lifetime! #ski #Paris #TourEiffel. ✅ pic.twitter.com/pZUxAd4Q8a

— Christophe Chenut (@ChChenut) February 7, 2018