Truckers stuck on the highway, trains cancelled, school buses suspended… If winter storm Caetano “Now he has left the country” According to Météo-France on Friday, November 22, it caused chaos in transport and the meteorological organization warned of the risk of new frosts. “very light” AND “well in its place” where the snow fell the day before.
Although snowfall, unusual in western France, has decreased considerably, it has had important consequences. Restrictions on road transport apply in certain areas on Friday, while SNCF traffic remains disrupted locally.
Dozens of truck drivers were still blocked by snow around 6:30 a.m. on the A36 motorway, near Montbéliard, in Doubs, in the direction of Beaune-Mulhouse, according to webcam images consulted on the Vinci Autoroutes website.
In addition, more than a thousand agents of the electricity grid manager are working to restore the electricity supply, while 270,000 people have been deprived of electricity, according to the latest Enedis report at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday.
On Friday, 31 departments remain on orange alert for snow, ice and wind, compared to around fifty on Thursday, Météo-France confirmed in its bulletin published at 06:00. The two departments of Corsica should experience a “locally stormy wind episode (…) until late in the morning”.
Météo-France announced on Friday morning that it had recorded gusts of 150 km/h on the Balagne coast, 160 to 180 km/h in the north of Cap Corse, 120 to 145 km/h in Conca and Porto- Vecchio. and from 90 to 110 km/h in the Bastia region.
The 29 departments affected by snow and ice extend from Normandy to Haut-Rhin, passing through the Ile-de-France. There may be a “High risk of landslide phenomenon due to refreezing in much of the northern half of the country”Météo-France warned.
Dozens of traffic accidents
In Haute-Saône, minimum temperatures could range between -8 and -9°C in some areas, with the risk of new frosts and “In the morning, dangerous road phenomena”the prefecture warned. Dozens of traffic accidents occurred on Thursday. In La Mancha, an accident on public roads left a person seriously injured.
Fact sheet
“Human warmth”
How to face the climate challenge? Every week, our best articles on the topic.
Record
School transportation was interrupted in several western departments. This will remain the case on Friday in Mayenne and in the five departments of Normandy until noon. The collective transport of children will also be prohibited in Sarthe.
The Paris region, the center of the country and the East will also be affected. Seine-et-Marne will suspend public transport. School lines and regular bus lines will also be suspended until noon in the departments of Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir. In Loiret, traffic on school lines will be interrupted until midday. There will be no school buses in Haut-Rhin. The prefect of Doubs also issued an order to suspend school transportation from 5 to 12 hours in the urban community of Montbéliard.
Alterations in trains and roads
Traffic restrictions still affect heavy vehicles of 7.5 tonnes on Friday, with speeds reduced by 20 km/h and overtaking prohibited in some places. Sections of departmental roads, and even highways, have been closed. This will remain the case on Friday in Sarthe and traffic will be prohibited on the A28 between Alençon and Le Mans in both directions.
In Ile-de-France, RN 118 will be prohibited on Friday to vehicles weighing more than 7.5 tons, which will not be able to overtake on the main roads in the region. For all vehicles, the speed is reduced by 20 km/h on the same axles.
The disruptions also affected trains. Added to this is the social movement underway at the SNCF. This will continue to be the case on Friday, the SNCF said, although in some places trees fell on the tracks. “in Normandy, Pays de la Loire, New Aquitaine and Ile-de-France”.
Trains will not run through Normandy until noon “It is time to pass the reconnaissance trains and carry out authorizations and repairs”says the SNCF. In the Pays de la Loire, “There were many trees falling”. “Traffic is gradually being restored in Nantes-Angers” but on the other hand, “The other lines of the Étoile de Nantes will not be able to resume until tomorrow during the day”. In New Aquitaine, the recognitions “Continue tomorrow morning to ensure the possibility of resuming traffic”.
“In Ile-de-France, there are still interruptions on line P, between Tournan and Coulommiers, L2, between Garches and Marnes, C and on line T13, throughout the night”specifies the SNCF.
The storm, which is moving towards the east of the country, has also caused significant delays at the Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle airport, where authorities have asked companies to cancel 10% of their flights.
