Météo-France has placed nine departments on orange vigilance for Monday, facing the progression of storm Bella.
In the east and the center of the country, especially in Auvergne and Limousin, some 18,000 homes were still without electricity on Monday mid-morning, following its passage and snowfall.
About 18,000 homes were deprived of electricity Monday morning in eastern and central France, due to storm Bella and heavy snowfall recorded overnight, power grid manager Enedis told AFP. .
A previous report Sunday evening reported 34,000 homes without power in the east and center of the country.
The electricity of "90% of customers who had been impacted by storm Bella has been restored", mainly in Normandy, Brittany, Picardy and Nord-Pas-de-Calais, said a spokesperson for Enedis.
"But during the night, heavy snowfall and strong winds were also recorded in Auvergne and Limousin, causing negative effects on the network," he added.
A total of 18,000 customers were without electricity, while strong winds are also expected in the southwest during the day, Enedis said.
Some 1,500 employees are hard at work in the affected areas to restore the electricity network.
Nine departments in orange vigilance, four concerned by a "wave-submersions" phenomenon
Météo-France announced on Sunday that the disturbance linked to "Bella" would arrive on the west of the Massif Central with snow above 600 to 700 m, associated with a stormy wind.
For the day of Monday, nine departments were placed in orange vigilance.
Snow and ice are expected in Aveyron, Cantal, Corrèze, Lozère and Puy-de-Dôme, while a phenomenon of "waves-submersions" will affect Corse-du-Sud, the Landes and the Pyrenees. -Atlantiques and the Var.