Heavy snowfall causes outage, traffic disruptions in western France

Around 170,000 households in western France have lost electricity due to heavy snowfall brought by Storm Caetano, French Minister of Energy Transition Agnes Pannier-Runacher announced on Thursday afternoon.

Speaking at a press conference, Pannier-Runacher stated that over 1,400 workers have been deployed to repair the damaged power network. However, the number of affected households is expected to continue to rise amid the ongoing storm, which made landfall in western France on Thursday morning.

The minister warned that snowfall would persist into Thursday night, with temperatures expected to drop below freezing. She urged residents to exercise caution, particularly regarding the increased risk of black ice.

The storm also caused significant disruptions. The French Civil Aviation Authority reported that heavy delays are expected at Paris' Charles de Gaulle Airport and instructed airlines to cancel 10 percent of flights from the country's largest air hub due to the severe weather.

The French national railway company SNCF also announced on social media that high-speed train services in western and southwestern France are either suspended or limited for safety reasons.

Meanwhile, Meteo-France, the national meteorological agency, has issued an Orange alert, the second-highest warning level, for 56 of the 96 departments in metropolitan France, citing strong winds and heavy snowfall.

(Cover: Snow falls near Caen, northwest France, November 21, 2024. /CFP)