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WEATHER

France told ‘stay vigilant’ as big freeze hits north

Several regions in the north and west of France have been put on an orange severe weather alert, with snow and ice expected to hit many areas later today.

Published: 13 December 2012 11:48 CET
France told 'stay vigilant' as big freeze hits north
The Jardin des Tuileries in Paris during a cold snap in 2010. Photo: Jean-Pierre Dalbéra

Météo France, the country’s national weather service, added two more counties to a list of over 20 in the Breton, Loire, Centre and Ile de France regions on high alert for the cold weather.

Members of the public are urged to be “very vigilant”, especially when driving, as temperatures are set to dip as low as minus five degrees and snow and black ice set in.

The cold weather has caused traffic problems throughout the northern regions, with both the transport and the interior minister urging the population to stay safe.

They urged the public to be "extremely vigilant while travelling and going about their daily lives because of the high risk of falls and accidents.”

They also recommended not travelling at all if possible.

The Maine-et-Loire county has already reported 10 accidents due to icy conditions, injuring seven people, since 2am.

School transport in four of the regions placed on orange alert has also been cancelled.

The orange alert is expected to hold until 3pm local time, and temperatures are expected to rise by a few degrees later in the week.

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WEATHER

Denmark records deepest snow level for 13 years

Blizzards in Denmark this week have resulted in the greatest depth of snow measured in the country for 13 years.

Published: 4 January 2024 14:18 CET
Denmark records deepest snow level for 13 years

A half-metre of snow, measured at Hald near East Jutland town Randers, is the deepest to have occurred in Denmark since January 2011, national meteorological agency DMI said.

The measurement was taken by the weather agency at 8am on Thursday.

Around 20-30 centimetres of snow was on the ground across most of northern and eastern Jutland by Thursday, as blizzards peaked resulting in significant disruptions to traffic and transport.

A much greater volume of snow fell in 2011, however, when over 100 centimetres fell on Baltic Sea island Bornholm during a post-Christmas blizzard, which saw as much as 135 centimetres on Bornholm at the end of December 2010.

READ ALSO: Denmark’s January storms could be fourth extreme weather event in three months

With snowfall at its heaviest for over a decade, Wednesday saw a new rainfall record. The 59 millimetres which fell at Svendborg on the island of Funen was the most for a January day in Denmark since 1886. Some 9 weather stations across Funen and Bornholm measured over 50cm of rain.

DMI said that the severe weather now looks to have peaked.

“We do not expect any more weather records to be set in the next 24 hours. But we are looking at some very cold upcoming days,” DMI meteorologist and press spokesperson Herdis Damberg told news wire Ritzau.

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