You've probably felt it, but the mercury is dropping drastically. After a particularly mild end to 2023 and first week of January 2024, the cold is setting in as of this Monday, January 8, with sub-zero temperatures expected, down to -5 degrees at night. Early in the week, several days are expected to see the mercury remain below zero. For this reason, Météo France has placed 39 départements under "extreme cold" yellow vigilance and 60 départements under "snow and freezing rain" vigilance.
Paris and the whole of the Île-de-France region (Hauts-de-Seine, Seine-Saint-Denis, Val-de-Marne, Val-d'Oise, Yvelines, Essonne and Seine-et-Marne) are also affected by these two warnings, at least this Monday. But what exactly is this"extreme cold" warning launched in 2004 by Météo France? It's an " episode of cold weather characterized by its persistence, intensity and geographical extent ".
The weather service also specifies that " the episode will last at least two days ". Temperatures, meanwhile, are " well below seasonal normals for the region concerned ". This cold snap is unprecedented since 2018, and will persist until the end of the week, before easing off next Sunday.
As Météo France reminds us, " extreme cold often insidiously reduces the body's ability to resist. Like heatwaves, extreme cold can kill indirectly by aggravating existing pathologies ". The cold can also cause hypothermia orfrostbite , two serious consequences that must be reported to emergency services as soon as possible.
In addition, Météo France's cold weather watch also helps activate the government's "Grand froid" plan, the main aim of which is to protect the most vulnerable sections of the population, particularly the homeless.
Moscow-Paris: what kind of cold snap is France in for this week?
After a particularly mild end to 2023, the mercury is set to plummet this week, with sub-zero temperatures of around -5 degrees expected in the capital. [Read more]
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Moscow-Paris: what kind of cold snap is France in for this week?
