Snow, ice, and wind alerts in place for most of France as Storm Caetano arrives
Up to 10cm of snow is expected in Normandy and 3cm in Paris. Drivers are urged to be careful
Many departments have alerts in place over driving conditions
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A fresh set of weather warnings have been put in place this morning in France as over half of all departments face a tier-three orange alert or higher.
All but six departments are facing a warning of some kind, and currently 56 have a heightened tier-three warning level.
The warnings are due to the incoming Storm Caetano, pushing in from the north and west of France to the east, and bringing snow and strong winds.
Around 3cm of snowfall is expected in Paris and up to 10cm in Normandy, and at higher altitudes it is expected to settle.
Train services to the west of France from Paris are facing delays, as are flights from the capital's two major airports, Charles de Gaulle and Roissy.
The majority of departments have warnings in place for snowy and icy roads (neige-verglas), increasing to a tier-three alert where more snowfall is likely.
In northern France, some departments have placed temporary limits on HGVs and trucks driving above 20 km/h, or temporarily banned them from driving on certain roads due to the conditions.
A second set of higher-level warnings stretching from west to east, concerns strong winds associated with the storm.
These warnings cover a belt across France from Véndée to the Alps as well as Corsica.
Read more: What to do - and not do - in a red or orange weather alert in France
In the Puy-de-Dôme department, schools have been closed, and up to 50,000 properties in the north and west of France are without electricity, state grid operator Enedis reports.
This includes 10,000 homes in Normandy, 9,000 in Brittany, and 11,500 in the Pays de la Loire department.
Heightened warnings are set to last until the evening, although tomorrow conditions should improve, and the number of departments on a tier-three alert should roughly halve.
You can keep up to date with all official warnings via state forecaster Météo France. The number and intensity of warnings are likely to change as the day progresses.
