Snow causes transport havoc across France - more expected tonight

Update 16:00: Around 40% of flights from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport and around 25% from Paris Orly have been cancelled on Wednesday. Impacted flights were scheduled to leave between 09:00 and 14:00. 

Travellers should check with airlines to see if they are affected.

Snowfall is continuing to cause widespread transport disruption today (January 6) in many areas of France after another overnight flurry. 

Up to 30cm of snow fell in parts of Charente-Maritime yesterday and more snow is expected tonight.

There have been six reported deaths relating to the weather conditions; three on Monday and three on Tuesday morning. 

An accident on Monday afternoon saw a truck skid off the road near Presles-en-Brie (Seine-et-Marne) and collide with a van driving in the opposite direction. The van driver died and two others were injured.

A ride-hail driver also died near the capital after his car skidded off the road and into the Marne river. The passenger he was carrying managed to escape and was rushed to hospital after suffering severe hypothermia, however the driver was unable to get out of the car and was found in the river by emergency services.

A young motorcyclist in Brittany died after slipping on icy roads near Rennes on Monday night. 

A second major accident in the region was narrowly avoided when a train and car collided at a level crossing, however the driver of the vehicle managed to get out in time and no one was seriously injured. 

On Tuesday morning, three people died in the Landes department after separate accidents relating to icy road conditions. 

A collision between two 'Flixbus' coaches on the A63 led to two deaths, with the driver of a HGV on the D824 also confirmed dead by the local prefecture following a separate incident.

The Flixbus crash saw between 50 to 70 people injured, three severely, and hundreds of cars and trucks on the road damaged, and the A63 is temporarily closed in some areas. 

Emergency services struggled to arrive promptly due to the harsh weather conditions in the area.

In Paris and the surrounding departments, the majority of bus routes are cancelled this morning, with only around 30 still running. Operator RATP said routes should return later in the day. Some local RER and Transilien trains are also affected.

Workers are being urged to work from home where possible.

Airports have also been affected, with around 15% of flights from Paris’s two main airports cancelled to allow runways to be cleared of snow. 

Flights to and from Nantes airport this morning were cancelled following the closure of the sole runway on Monday night due to snow. As of 10:15, all flights until to and from the airport until around 16:00 are either delayed or cancelled, including a number of UK routes.

Travellers today are advised to keep up to date with information from their airline.

Warnings continue for drivers, with more than 1,000 km of traffic being recorded in the Île-de-France region yesterday evening. 

Tier-three orange warnings for snowy and black ice have been issued for Wednesday morning in 38 departments, but have been lifted for Tuesday.

The ‘neige et verglas’ plan remains in place in the capital and surrounding area, with speed limits reduced to 80 km/h on motorways and other major roads.

Several other departments have cancelled school transport services for children, and there are limits on certain heavy goods vehicles in Brittany and other areas. 

Some roads are temporarily closed, including parts of the A10 – tips to help track road closures during farmer protests can also be used during weather events to check live road conditions near you.

A full list of driving restrictions can be found through public service broadcaster FranceInfo.

Further snowfall is not expected today, but a new bout is forecast overnight, falling from Lille as far south as Toulouse.

Heavy snowfall in Paris, Normandy, Atlantic coast

Last night’s snow was particularly heavy in parts of the west, with Charente and other western departments seeing around 10cm. 

In Charente-Maritime up to 15cm was recorded in coastal La Rochelle, and up to 30cm in the rural north of the department, as precipitation levels were significantly higher than first expected. 

A few homes lost power in the department during the snowfall. 

Nearby Vendée also saw heavy snowfall overnight.

Despite the transportation difficulties, some people relished in the snowfall, using the opportunity to take photos.

This included in the capital, where the snowfall was heavy enough to provide a rare covering of famous monuments.

In Normandy, abbeys and churches were covered with a thick dusting of snow, and in Brittany snow fell on deserted beaches.