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WEATHER

Winds bring tropical warmth to Swiss regions

Parts of Switzerland experienced tropical temperatures on Tuesday night with mercury readings exceeding 26 degrees, thanks to a warm Föhn wind.

Winds bring tropical warmth to Swiss regions
Föhn winds of Geneva. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

The unusual phenomenon struck central and eastern regions of the country as the wind, carrying warm air from the southwest blew through the plateau and mountain valleys, meteorologists said.

Records for the third week of October were set in in Heerbrugg in the canton of Saint Gallen, where it reached 26.7 degrees, according to MeteoNews.

All-time highs were also recorded in Quinten, also in the canton of Saint Gallen (26.6 degrees), and at Saint Maurice in the canton of Valais (25.4 degrees), MeteoNews said.

Temperatures rose to 26.3 degrees in Vaduz, the capital of neighbouring Liechtenstein, and also surpassed 25 degrees in Rorschach in the canton of Saint Gallen and Flüelen in the canton of Uri, as well as the cantons of Schwyz and Glaris.

Winds were clocked at speeds of up to 105 kilometres an hour on Lake Constance.

SRF Méteo reported that a high of 25.3 degrees was reported at 2am Wednesday at the Altenrhein airport in Saint Gallen.

The winds were expected to subside later in the morning.

Föhn conditions periodically hit Switzerland and other parts of central Europe, warming the climate as moist winds off the Mediterranean Sea blow over the Alps.

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SKIING

Two skiers killed in Swiss avalanche

Two cross-country skiers have been killed in an avalanche near the plush resort of Klosters in southeast Switzerland, police said Saturday.

Two skiers killed in Swiss avalanche

The accident happened on Friday, the Graubunden regional police said.

“In the Schintersiten area they took a slope with a steep gradient,” a police statement said.

“Several avalanches broke out and dragged the two men about 200 metres down the rocky terrain.

“As a result, both the 54-year-old and his 57-year-old companion, both of whom lived in the canton of Bern, were fatally injured.”

The Graubunden public prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation alongside the cantonal police.

Before Friday’s accident, 12 people had lost their lives in avalanches in Switzerland since October 1 last year, according to statistics from the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research.

A total of 142 avalanche-related accidents have occurred, with 188 people swept away.

Earlier this month, six cross-country skiers went missing in a storm near the southern luxury resort of Zermatt. The group, aged 21 to 58, included five members of the same family.

Five bodies were recovered and the search for the sixth person was ultimately called off.

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