Orange alert with black ice warning
Motorists are being warned to expect snow and ice on the roads across the north-east quarter of France.
Much of the Paris area and of the north-east has been placed under an “orange alert” by Météo France because of snow and black ice.
Driving conditions are difficult in many parts of France and people are being asked to take care and expect delays.
In the south of the Paris area, about 80 accidents were reported this morning, and many buses were not running.
Areas concerned by the orange alert last night, and maintained this morning, are all the departments of Ile-de-France as well as: Ain, Aube, Côte-d'Or, Eure-et-Loir, Haute-Marne, Saône-et-Loire and Yonne. The alert has also now been extended towards the north and north-east, the whole of Franche-Comté and Lorraine and also to the departments of Aisne, Eure, Marne, Oise and Haut-Rhin.
Rain and snow are affecting areas from the Massif Central towards the Ile-de-France to the north and Franche-Comté to the east, while there were risks of rain causing black ice between the north of Burgundy and Ile-de-France. Forecasts say the bad weather will be moving slowly north and north-east during the day.
“There will only be a thin layer of ice on roads, but enough to make the road network very slippery,” said a spokesman for the Institut des Prévisions.
