Thousands in France without power in storm aftermath
Over 41,000 homes across France are without power today (Wednesday January 30), as snow and ice alerts remain in 15 departments, after Storm Gabriel swept the country last night.
Heavy snow and high winds of up to 133 kph caused significant problems on the roads, and brought down major electricity wires.
The worst-affected departments are Oise, Aisne and Somme; with over 10,000 homes without power.
Météo France had placed 41 departments on alert - including Paris and surroundings - before the storm hit.
Today, the forecaster has warned of snowfall of 5-15 cm in the departments still on orange (second-most severe) alert. François Jobard, from Météo France, warned of “intense” snow that “would stick”.
Transport minister Elisabeth Borne has reminded drivers to remain “especially careful”, and to avoid driving unless 100% necessary throughout Wednesday.
Some major roads remain closed across the country, and the circulation of heavy goods vehicles remains restricted or banned. School transport is largely cancelled in affected areas.
In Paris, despite some delays yesterday, the RATP bus lines and Métro are running mainly normally, as are the A and B RER train lines. There is still disruption on the RER C, D and E lines, with some services cancelled completely due to fallen trees.
The full list of departments still on alert is:
Aisne, Ardennes, Aube, Aveyron, Côte-d'Or, Marne, Haute-Marne, Meuse, Nièvre, Nord, Oise, Pas-de-Calais, Saône-et-Loire, Somme, and Yonne.
