Since January 8 and 9, 2024, the French have lived to the rhythm of snowflakes and negative temperatures. In a very large part of the country, the thermometer is unable to rise above the 5 degree mark. Météo France had also warned that the day of Tuesday January 9, 2024 would be one of the coldest this winter, particularly in eastern France. “Temperatures must be modulated with the effect of the northeast wind. It is the temperature felt which is an index giving an approximation of the sensation of cold felt by a person exposed to the wind. This index is between -10 and -15°C in Lorraine until Thursday morning.. But while some are eager to return to milder temperatures, others are looking forward to the arrival of winter. However, this is nothing compared to what the French experienced in 1956.
The Seine completely frozen
Indeed, the INA revealed on its Instagram page, on Thursday January 11, 2024, images of the worst cold snap that crossed our country. “We are far from equaling February 1956, when temperatures were so low that the Seine froze,” writes the Institute. Indeed, in the impressive images that are revealed, we can see the Seine resembling an Arctic Ocean. “The thermometer measures up to -14.7 in Paris”. Across France, a thick blanket of snow is forcing residents to review their habits, until taking out the sled to move across the plain. In eastern France, the Rhine can be crossed on foot and children even have fun throwing snowballs at each other on the frozen water. Impressive images which prove that current temperatures cannot be described as a cold snap. Moreover, according to Météo France, an improvement is “expected from Friday” January 12, 2024. If the anticyclone will descend on France, putting an end to the bad weather, we will nevertheless have to wait a few more days to see temperatures increase.