France: 1 person dead, 300,000 homes without power after heavy snowfall

Heavy snowfall across southeast France has reportedly left one person dead and cut power to approximately 300,000 homes on November 15. According to international media reports, a 63-year-old man was killed on Thursday in the Isere department after a tree covered with snow fell on him while he was trying to clear away another downed tree. A 27-year-old man was also injured and hospitalised in Bourgoin-Jallieu. The Grid operator Enedis reportedly said that mainly Drome, Ardeche, Isere and Rhone departments, which include the cities of Lyon and Grenoble were mainly affected by the power cuts.

A spokesperson from Enedis reportedly said that it is an exceptional situation because the snow is heavily concentrated in a single area, which is responsible for significant damage to the power lines. He further added that the authorities have knocked down trees since branches weighing down with snow have frozen and caused short-circuits. According to reports, up to 30 centimeters of snow had fallen at higher elevations near the Alps in less than 24 hours and 15 centimeters at the Lyon airport. A railway company SNFC further said that train traffic was interrupted on three lines from Grenobleuntil midday due to trees falling on the tracks. Passengers also were evacuated from the Grenoble-Lyon train on Thursday.

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Winter weather warnings

The Meteo France weather agency has warned that the whole of the Rhone-Alps region could see snowfall in the coming days. The departments of Vaucluse, Bouches-du-Rhone and Var are also on alert for heavy rainfall while Alpes-Maritimes and Var also had warnings in place for coastal flooding. The residents were further advised to take precautions when traveling and avoid unnecessary trips. The authorities have advised citizens to avoid going near the sea. Across France, temperatures took a dip as the first real cold snap of the season arrived. Burgundy and the eastern part of the country might witness temperature drop to around 0°C and 3°C while in the rest of the country, the temperature will be between 2°C and 6°C. 

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