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WEATHER

Coldest January gives way to spring-like February

After the coldest January for 30 years, temperatures across Switzerland rose dramatically on Thursday, reaching 16 degrees in some parts of the country.

Coldest January gives way to spring-like February
Foehn clouds. Photo: Jan Remund
A strong foehn wind was responsible for bringing temperatures up to 16.4C in Evionnaz in the Valais, said MeteoNews in a statement. 
 
Buchs in the canton of St Gallen and Schattdorf in Uri also surpassed 16C, while temperatures were generally in double figures across the country’s lowlands. 
 
The strong foehn reached a maximum of 101km/hr at Les Diablerets in the canton of Vaud, it added.
 
However the warm spell is not a record-breaker for the month of February. That was set in February 1998 when the mercury rose to a summery 21.7C.
 
The foehn wind is a special feature of the Swiss climate and occurs mainly between autumn and spring, according to MeteoSuisse. 
 
It generally produces mild and dry conditions and high wind speeds.  
 
The foehn is a stark contrast to the cold bise wind that is another characteristic of the Swiss weather and was responsible for a particularly icy spell in January. 
 
The bise strengthens between the Jura mountains and prealps, on the shore of Lake Geneva – as was witnessed in mid January when gusts of up to 142km/hr battered western Switzerland and made the already frigid temperatures feel even colder. 
 
The current warm spell is bad news for La Brévine, known as the coldest place in Switzerland, which plans to celebrate its reputation with its annual ‘cold festival’ this Saturday.

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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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