Snow forecast over large swathe of France
Forecasters warn that up to 10cm of snow could accumulate across a large area of France, while the Pyrenees can expect up to 1.5m in 48 hours at higher altitudes
Snow is expected across a large swathe of France from Tuesday, bringing up to 10cm of snow across many areas, Météo France has said.
Forecasters have not yet issued any formal weather warnings, but said that the weather front coming in off the Atlantic from the northwest will bring the first real bite of winter - but experts added that it was not expected to be anything like as severe as the snowy episode of February 2018.
The bulk of the snow is expected over the eastern half of the country, but there will also be heavy snowfalls on the Pyrenees as well. In western regions, between 1cm and 5cm is expected to settle, while accumulations further east are expected to be between 5cm and 10cm.
Areas around upper Normandy, heading towards the Belgian border will be the first to see snow, before the front moves towards the Centre region and Ile-de-France. It will reach Burgundy-Franche-Comté and the Grand Est region in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, overnight temperatures are expected to dip below zero, leading to frost and icy road conditions.
More snow is expected on Wednesday in some areas - notably the Pyrenees, where up to 1.5m are expected at altitudes over 1,400m over the next 48 hours. Meteo France said that the avalanche risk would be high on Wednesday.
Residual rain is forecast over a large portion of the country on Thursday as the depression moves away, before dry conditions return on Friday, Météo France said.
