Paris’s transportation network experienced significant disruptions on Wednesday as heavy snowfall and icy conditions forced the cancellation of around 100 flights at Charles de Gaulle Airport and an additional 40 at Orly Airport, according to France’s Transport Minister Philippe Tabarot.
The minister told CNews on Tuesday evening that authorities were closely monitoring the situation and hoped to restore normal operations by Wednesday afternoon.
Public transport was also affected, with all bus services in Paris and its surrounding suburbs suspended due to treacherous road conditions. However, most metro lines and suburban rail services remained operational, officials said.
Meteo France reported that 38 of the country’s 96 mainland departments were under alert for heavy snow and black ice. Snowfall accumulation ranged from three to seven centimetres (approximately one to three inches) in affected areas. The weather service described the cold snap as “of rare intensity for the season,” and urged residents in the Paris region to limit travel and work from home where possible.
Tragically, the extreme conditions have already claimed six lives in weather-related accidents across France, marking one of Europe’s harshest winter cold snaps to date.
