Météo-France issued an orange alert bulletin on Thursday morning at 6 AM, renewed at 4 PM. “Snowfall or ice in unusual amounts for the region is expected between Thursday 4 PM and Friday 8 PM.” These forecasts cover the entire Alpes-Maritimes department, including the coastal areas where snowflakes are expected to fall overnight. The snowfall “could be heavy above 300 meters with snow depths reaching 5 to 10 cm and locally up to 30 cm.”
Dark clouds coming from the south color the land, the Var, and its plain. This is the scene on the Côte d’Azur this Thursday. Before singing in the snow, all the departmental services responsible for road network maintenance are preparing to intervene: the Departmental Directorate for Equipment (DDE), the general council’s road directorate, the prefecture, and the municipal employees dealing with roadways.
A meeting was held at the prefecture at 11 AM to plan the priority routes, and another at 5 PM. No panic in the morning. Serenity prevails at the Nice city hall where, with the snowy episodes of 2005, they consider themselves well-prepared even though transport difficulties are inevitable. Two problems inherent to these exceptional weather conditions: traffic on “hillside” roads and bus circulation.
From 2 PM in Nice, it was decided to mobilize municipal teams in charge of maintaining public roads. Vehicles are being prepared for salt spreading operations. Two gymnasiums are “pre-requisitioned” in case of need. Sodexho is to provide meals, and beds will be supplied by the civil security. These will be used especially for the “highway castaways.” School pickups are carried out from 3 PM for students living in municipalities located on the heights. Confidence prevails at the city hall, and even though the snow is only predicted late at night with no certainty near the seashore, it’s better to be proactive to best address the issues that these unseasonal snowflakes might cause on the coast.
The same assurance at the general council, which has been responsible since January 1, 2006, for national roads in addition to departmental roads. Pre-salting operations started early in the afternoon. The prefecture has set up a monitoring unit. As a precaution, it recommended school pickups from 3 PM and asked educational institutions via the academic inspection to organize studies or childcare for parents possibly stuck on the roads.
From 2 PM, snowflakes fell on the eastern part of the department, between 10 and 20 cm in the mountains. The winter coat begins to cover the blue coast landscape (Las Planas, Tourette-Levens, Gattières, Vence, Valbonne, Le Rouret…) with its beautiful white fleece. Despite the beauty, it’s important to remind motorists to be cautious and avoid unnecessary travel. Equipment is mandatory starting from 200 meters.
Here are the recommendations from Météo France: “Be cautious and vigilant if you must travel. Prefer public transportation. Check road conditions with the regional traffic information center (CRICR). Plan your trip and route. Respect traffic restrictions and detours put in place. Facilitate the passage of road clearance vehicles, particularly by parking your vehicle off the roads. Protect yourself from falls and protect others by clearing snow and salting the sidewalks in front of your home, while avoiding blocking water drain covers. Do not touch any electric wires fallen on the ground.”
For more details on the weather conditions, visit the Météo France website: [https://www.meteo.fr/meteonet/vigilance/#](https://www.meteo.fr/meteonet/vigilance/#)
