Up to 20 cm! Here are the departments in which the snow will settle and stick to the ground

While France is experiencing an episode of intense cold this week, snow could accumulate in several departments.

The month of January 2024 continues to be cold. Most of the territory is hit by temperatures well below seasonal norms, with an episode of severe cooling coming straight from Scandinavia. Forecasts predict negative temperatures throughout the northern half of the country with minimums reaching -15°C in the east locally.

In addition to the cold, weather agencies are announcing the persistence of frost in many departments for several days. The north is particularly affected by the presence of frost, from Normandy to Alsace via the center-west. But the snow, which has also made a comeback in France, could also accumulate.

From Monday evening, snowfall was observed in France, from Paris to Normandy via Indre and Cher to the Loire. The phenomenon intensified this Tuesday and will continue in the coming days. Here is an infographic of the regions and departments affected by snow until at least Thursday:

Tuesday evening, it is likely that a layer of snow of several centimeters – between 3 and 5 cm – will cover several departments of Île-de-France, Normandy, but also parts of Isère, Hautes-Alpes , from the Alpes de Haute-Provence.

On Wednesday, “anticyclonic conditions remain in a cold atmosphere” in the north of the country, insists Météo France, which specifies: “The residue of the snow disturbance from the day before brings a very cloudy sky and still a few flakes in places in the morning of Brittany to the Paris region and Champagne-Ardenne. […] At the end of the day and the following night, the risk of snow in the plain reaches Midi-Pyrénées, as well as the interior of Roussillon.

In the French massifs, the layers of snow should settle much more heavily. For example, France Blue indicated that the departments of Drôme and Ardèche in the southwest should expect significant layers of snow. Snow has been falling in these departments since Sunday evening and could accumulate “on the Vercors up to 50 centimeters in places.”

In Ardèche, 20 cm of snow is expected in its mountains which should remain for several days. Even further south, The Weather Channel also forecasts snow this Tuesday “at very low altitude in the interior of Provence, from Bouches-du-Rhône to Gard.” The same goes for Languedoc-Roussillon where the meteorological site announces snow from 800 meters above sea level for this Wednesday January 10.