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France on alert as snowfall and freezing temperatures continue


On Thursday morning 15 French departments in the north-west, centre and south-east were on alert due to snowfalls and icy road conditions. Weather bureau France méteo forecasts more snowfall and sub-zero temperatures over the next few days.

The channel port city of Le Havre woke Thursday to 20 - 25 cm of snow, while a 10 to 15 cm blanket of snow covered the city of Caen. In four departments, la Manche, Calvados, l’Orne and l’Ille-et-Vilaine, school bus services were suspended for the day.

In lower Normandy traffic was closed to trucks on the A84 motorway while in the central region of Puy-de-Dôme conditions on secondary roads were treacherous, according to police.

Driving conditions are also hazardous in Clermont-Ferrand, which has received 15 cm of snow. Large bands of the A89 motorway were closed to trucks.

More lighter snowfall is forecast for Thursday on the English Channel and along much of the Atlantic coast. Meanwhile, the cold snap, which brought temperatures of up to -7° celsius in the areas surrounding Paris is set to continue for the next few days.


Source rfi