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France Lifts Orange Snow-Ice Alerts After Brief Early-Winter Episode

A warmer Atlantic airmass triggers a rapid thaw, ending a short-lived episode with limited disruption.

Overview

  • Orange vigilance was lifted nationwide by late Sunday morning after brief overnight alerts that reached 14 departments, with the final orange alerts in Puy-de-Dôme and Cantal downgraded at 10:00.
  • Light, uneven accumulations were observed across the affected belt, generally 1–5 cm, including about 1 cm in Limoges and 3 cm in Égletons, with the Paris region seeing its first snow of the season.
  • Authorities activated Plan neige niveau 2 in Île-de-France with a 20 km/h speed reduction and a ban on heavy-vehicle overtaking, while roughly 7,500 road agents were mobilized.
  • Transport impacts were localized, with reported delays linked to low visibility and de-icing at Roissy and Orly, some RER slowdowns, and road accidents including four injuries in the Oise.
  • Météo-France notes a rapid redoux moving in from the west, with a residual risk of isolated freezing rain near the German border that does not warrant renewed orange alerts.