SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Basel suffers wettest six months for 150 years

It may be sunny now, but parts of Switzerland have been wetter than ever in the first half of this year.

Basel suffers wettest six months for 150 years
Parts of Switzerland smashed the half-year record for rainfall. Photo: Jonathan Kos-Read

In Basel 732 millimetres of rain fell from January 1st to the end of June this year, nearly double the norm, said SRF Meteo on Friday.

That’s more than any other equivalent period since 1864 and more than the amount of rainfall in the whole of last year.

It also smashes the previous record, from 2001, when 639 millimetres of rain fell from January to June – nearly a hundred millimetres under this year’s six-month total.

While Basel was the soggiest, nearly all of Switzerland suffered higher than average rainfall in the first half of this year, with Zurich, Lucerne and St Gallen all experiencing at least 50 percent more rain than usual.

French-speaking Switzerland fared slightly better, with only 30 percent more rainfall than average.

The wet conditions caused havoc across the country in May and June, sparking electricity outages, road closures and flooding in villages, along with late snowfall and  swollen rivers and lakes.

However hot, dry weather finally arrived towards the end of June.

The forecast over the next week is mixed, with sunny spells and showers and temperatures in the mid 20s, said Meteo Suisse.


Source: Meteo Suisse

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

SHOW COMMENTS