From the morning of Monday, March 11, 2013, to the evening of Tuesday, March 12, 2013, the regions of Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy experienced a snowfall event described by Météo France as "remarkable for the season, both in terms of the expected snowfall amounts and its duration." Météo France had issued a red alert for the departments of Calvados and Manche on March 12. This event was accompanied by gusty northeasterly winds, which contributed to the formation of snowdrifts, particularly along the Normandy coast. Following these heavy snowfalls and the very low temperatures during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, areas of black ice were identified. In this context, the Cire is monitoring the health impacts associated with this event in the regions of Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy based on the activities of hospital emergency departments and SOS Médecins associations. The health effects being monitored are as follows:

• cold-related conditions: frostbite, hypothermia;

• injuries resulting from falls or accidents;

• CO poisoning caused by malfunctioning heating systems.