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WEATHER

Record set as mercury plunges to minus 31

If you felt chillier than usual in Switzerland last night you weren’t imagining it — Tuesday night was in fact the coldest night so far this year with temperatures sinking as low as minus 31 degrees in parts of the country.

Record set as mercury plunges to minus 31
The lowest temperatures were recorded in Glattalp in the canton of Schwyz, central Switzerland. File photo: vasile23

After a slow start, winter finally seems to have taken hold, with record low Swiss temperatures recorded for 2014.

The lowest readings were recorded in Glattalp in the canton of Schwyz, central Switzerland, where the thermometer plummeted to minus 31 degrees, according to MeteoNews.

In the Ofen Pass in the easternmost canton of Graubünden temperatures sunk as low as  minus 24 and minus 23.5 in the canton’s town of Samedan.

Meanwhile, in Ulrichen in the south-western canton of Valais, temperatures reached  minus 21.8 and minus 19.4 in Andermatt in the central canton of Uri.

On Wednesday morning, Geneva, which escaped the severe cold, experienced its first snowfall of the year.

But ski lovers shouldn’t get too excited. 

According to Météo Suisse meteorologist Olivier Codeluppi, the snow was not set to last longer than 30 to 45 minutes, the Tribune de Genève reported. 

Sporadic snowfall is predicted for the next few days and rain is expected on Saturday, Codeluppi said.  

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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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