trains canceled, motorists stranded and power cuts… 31 departments on orange alert for snow, ice and wind

Motorists stuck on the highway, canceled trains, suspended school buses… Winter storm Caetano moves eastward on Friday, November 22, after causing chaos in transportation. Météo-France still warns of a risk of refreezing in the northern half of the country. Although the snowfall, which is rather unusual in the west of France, has decreased significantly, it has had significant consequences. Thirty-one departments are still placed on snow orange vigilanceice and wind on Friday, compared to around fifty on Thursday. The two departments of Corsica should experience a “episode of very strong winds (…) until midday”. Follow our live stream.

Traffic conditions still difficult. Restrictions on road transport apply in certain areas. Dozens of motorists and truckers were also still blocked by snow around 5 a.m. on the A36 motorway, near Montbéliard, in Doubs, according to webcam images from the Vinci highways site.

The disruptions also affect trains. Cancellations are still on the agenda for Friday, warns the SNCF, while trees have fallen on the tracks in places “in Normandy, Pays de la Loire, New Aquitaine and Ile-de-France”. Trains will not run in Normandy until midday “time to pass the reconnaissance trains and carry out clearances and repairs”informs the SNCF.

School transport interrupted in several departments. This is still the case on Friday in Mayenne and in the five Normandy departments until noon. Collective transport of children is also prohibited in Sarthe. The Paris region, the center and the East are also affected by suspensions of public and school transport. School lines and regular bus lines will not operate before midday in Loir-et-Cher and Eure-et-Loir. In Loiret, traffic on school lines is also suspended until midday. And in Haut-Rhin, school buses will not take place.

In the dark. More than a thousand agents from the electricity network manager are working to restore power while 270,000 people were deprived of electricity, according to the latest report from Enedis on Thursday evening.