Swathes of northern France were on alert for snow and ice on Tuesday, with snowfall leading traffic authorities to close road, cancel bus services and salt streets.
A total of 24 departments are on orange alert, the second highest weather warning, by France's national weather agency Meteo France.
In the greater Paris region of Île-de-France police have activated level 2 of the snow and ice plan.
A total of 150 bus services were suspended in the French capital until further notice, with people are advised to postpone unnecessary travel.
The normally busy N118 was closed in both directions in the Yvelines department of the Ile-de-France on Tuesday morning.
Here's a photo of the road looking deserted.
La #N118 et l’#A86 désertes (fermées). C’est beau mais peu pratique cette #Neige. ❄️ pic.twitter.com/ZTCutJ3N2d
— Victor Desmet (@victordesmet) January 22, 2019
The speed limit has also been reduced to 80km / h across the region.
From 6 am, vehicles weighing more than 3.5 tonnes and vehicles carrying dangerous goods are banned from the RN 118 road, where 900 people were stuck in their cars last year, and the road was salted overnight.
Meanwhile French railway operator SNCF is on “pre-alert” and the staff for French capital's transport operator RATP agents are “mobilized” and “ready to implement the necessary measures,” according to a spokesman.
Les saleuses à l’œuvre dans la côte des Mazures #neige #Ardennes @UnionArdennais pic.twitter.com/KMJxyfhzkB
— Varoquaux JG (@jgvaroquaux) January 22, 2019
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Unsurprisingly accidents were increasing on the roads.
?⚠️ #Neige et verglas : les incidents se multiplient sur l'#A10 et l'#A11. Prudence sur la route ? Plus d’infos ? https://t.co/eaKOoNPQuU pic.twitter.com/MzEinkNjb6
— France 3 Centre-Val de Loire (@F3Centre) January 22, 2019
In the town of Saint-Michel-sur-Orge in the Essonne department in the southern suburbs of Paris level three of the snow and ice plan was activated, with safety checks being carried out.
La #neige tombe -comme prévu- à #saintmichelsurorge ! Le niveau 3 du plan de viabilité hivernale est activé, surveillance au max pour les prochaines 48h. L'ensemble des agents est mobilisé depuis 4h du matin pour anticiper et dégager les sites prioritaires #prudence #securite pic.twitter.com/bEnYnX97sE
— Ville de Saint-Michel-sur-Orge (@villesmso91) January 22, 2019
Roads in the areas placed on alert were being salted.
?❄️Vigilance sur les routes avec un grand risque de #neige et de #verglas tout au long de la journée. Les services voiries de la ville et de l'agglomération ont procédé au salage des routes tôt ce matin. @sqy pic.twitter.com/NU6vZvB8A8
— Ville de Montigny-le-Bretonneux (@VilleMontigny78) January 22, 2019
Here's an example of the disruption caused by the closing of the N118 road.
Résidence SEQUOÏA – Meudon (92) sous la neige – ville à “deux pas de Paris”.
Circulation difficile! Bretelle d'accès N118 fermée!
Privilégier les moyens de transport, à 12 minutes de Paris gare Montparnasse~15 minutes gares RER C pour Paris TOUR EIFFEL, TRAM T2- et lignes de bus. pic.twitter.com/GVrQ1MYNvb— Patrick DESPLANQUE (@debarenton) January 22, 2019
Here's a look at the snowy conditions in the Hauts-de-France region.
❄️ Ça ne vous aura pas échappé, il #neige aujourd'hui en #Picardie! Transport, trafic, infos locales… Suivez cet épisode en direct >> https://t.co/u3447YNRk7 pic.twitter.com/0YAl9MwNMj
— Courrier picard (@CourrierPicard) January 22, 2019
Bonjour Twitter ??
Dans le fin fond des Yvelines il neige ? pic.twitter.com/jfDvaXKCDC— Touguy (@DiMouil) January 22, 2019
City staff were up early on Tuesday.
Mobilisation des équipes municipales pour le déblaiement des voies depuis 5h du matin à #Houilles. Les axes routiers les plus fréquentés et les rues du centre-ville sont dégagés en priorité ainsi que les abords des équipements publics. #Neige
Soyez vigilants ⚠️ pic.twitter.com/9u1R3qtphF— Ville de Houilles (@villehouilles) January 22, 2019
9h45: Après 45 min de Neige sur #Rambouillet , les routes sont difficilement praticables y compris la RN10 . pic.twitter.com/AS63erDsCC
— AuReL (@mojitoroux) January 22, 2019
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