Some areas are on alert for snow and ice. Others on alert because of the floods. And certain departments in the north-west of France even combine the three vigilances. This Friday, January 10, nine departments are still on orange alert. In the north of the country, the refreeze raised fears of a critical situation, particularly on the roads, after Thursday’s snowfall. “The snow remains on the ground in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and the north of the Somme, even if the main roads are clear,” assures Météo-France in its bulletin of the day.
Negative temperatures ranging between -2 and -5 degrees were expected tonight, causing the appearance of dangerous patches of ice. Two people died and around fifty others were injured, according to the prefectures concerned.
The situation is not expected to change much this Friday as the cold snap continues. “Slippery phenomena are expected in the departments of Nord, Pas-de-Calais and Somme, and particular vigilance is required when traveling,” warns Météo-France. These three territories are on orange alert. Similar conditions are expected at the border of neighboring departments.
Rivers that continue to rise, rise…
A little further down, floods threaten the inhabitants of Oise, Val-d’Oise, Seine-Maritime, Eure, Calvados and Ille-et-Vilaine. Showered by torrential rains in recent days, these five departments are facing the rise of several rivers and are on orange alert for floods at least until Saturday.
Further precipitation is expected this Friday in Brittany and Normandy, further delaying the recession phenomenon. “We’re waiting for the flood to recede, we can’t do anything else,” said an agent from Rennes Métropole on Thursday, watching the level of the Vilaine rise.
Several Breton municipalities have already seen their rivers overflow. On Thursday, a hotel and a clinic had to be evacuated due to the rise of the Vilaine. The Breton river is not the only one to burst its banks. The Dives, the middle and downstream Orne, the Epte, the Seiche and the Meu are also in flood.
The rain stops, the cold remains
Dry but particularly cold weather expected from Saturday should however allow rivers to see their flow decrease over the weekend. In Brittany and Normandy, forecasters are predicting a next week without precipitation.
