Overview
- Météo‑France calls the New Year period cold and wintery, with temperatures below seasonal norms and widespread frost.
- Eighteen departments in the Centre and Centre‑East are on yellow cold vigilance, and several areas, including the Paris region, have activated the plan grand froid.
- New Year’s Eve is expected to be one of the coldest nights in recent years, with freezing fog likely to create slippery conditions.
- Marked regional contrasts are forecast, with comparatively milder coasts and stronger wind‑chill under Mistral and Tramontane near the Mediterranean.
- Forecasters increasingly support a scenario for plains snowfall during the first weekend of January, though precise location and severity remain to be refined.