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WEATHER

Largest Swiss flag in the world damaged by torrential rain in the Alps

The flag had been deployed on the Säntis mountain in the Alpstein massif in northeastern Switzerland as part of the Swiss National Day celebrations. But the weather hadn't read the script.

Published: 2 August 2018 11:40 CEST
Largest Swiss flag in the world damaged by torrential rain in the Alps
File photo of the Swiss flag: Depositphotos

It measures 80 metres by 80 metres and weighs more than 700 kilograms. It took 20 people three hours to install it on a cliff on the Säntis mountain as part of the August 1st Swiss National Day celebrations.

The largest Swiss flag in the world, however, didn't last longer than 24 hours before a tear developed down its left flank.

The torrential rains that fell on Wednesday August 1st were the alleged cause behind the flag's ripping, according to Swiss daily Blick.

The right side of the flag had also incurred damage two years ago, according to Blick. 

Recent high temperatures have broken records in Switzerland but lightning was the key meteorological factor in cantons in the northeast and southwest of the Alpine country on Switzerland's National Day, Wednesday August 1st. Lightning struck 19,032 times yesterday, mainly in the cantons of St Gallen, Valais and Grisons, reports MeteoNews. 

READ ALSO: Switzerland experiencing the hottest summer since 1864

While no casualties were reported, trees were struck down and roads were flooded. In St Gallen, the A13 road was submerged in water while in the canton of Grisons, a mudslide fell on the Flüela Pass, a high mountain road, reports Swiss news portal 24 Heures. The Heizwerk Festival in Arbon on Lake Constance, which is open air, had to be suspended on Wednesday due to torrential rains. 

That event will resume today, according to a statement on the festival's website. 

The brief, intense spells of rain did little however to alleviate Switzerland's chronically dry summer. “On Wednesday, it rained intensely, but only occasionally and nowhere for very long,” said Markus Kägi of MeteoSuisse, Switzerland's Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, reports 24 Heures, adding that prolonged rain would be needed to ease the country's unusually dry summer.

The heatwave has led to fish being relocated for their survival from rivers where temperatures have risen beyond 23 degrees Celsius, wildfire warnings, restrictions on use of water and even enforced cuts in production of energy at a nuclear power plant.  

The high temperatures are expected to last until Saturday at least, according to forecasts from Meteo Suisse. 

READ MORE: Sizzling temperatures leading to 'catastrophe' for fish in Swiss lakes and rivers

WEATHER

IN PICTURES: ‘Exceptional’ Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

An "exceptional" dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent's climate monitor said on Monday, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime.

Published: 8 April 2024 14:15 CEST
IN PICTURES: 'Exceptional' Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said the latest plume, the third of its kind in recent weeks, was bringing hazy conditions to southern Europe and would sweep northward as far as Scandinavia.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus, said the latest event was related to a weather pattern that has brought warmer weather to parts of Europe in recent days.

“While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns,” he said.

This latest episode has caused air quality to deteriorate in several countries, Copernicus said.

The European Union’s safe threshold for concentrations of PM10 — coarser particles like sand and dust that that can irritate the nose and throat — has already been exceeded in some locations.

A picture taken on April 8, 2024 shows a rapeseed field under thick sand dust blown in from the Sahara, giving the sky a yellowish appearance near Daillens, western Switzerland. – An “exceptional” dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent’s climate monitor said, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

The worst affected was the Iberian Peninsula in Spain but lesser air pollution spikes were also recorded in parts of Switzerland, France and Germany.

READ ALSO:

Local authorities in southeastern and southern France announced that the air pollution threshold was breached on Saturday.

They advised residents to avoid intense physical activity, particularly those with heart or respiratory problems.

The dust outbreak was expected to reach Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia before ending on Tuesday with a shift in weather patterns, Copernicus said.

The Sahara emits between 60 and 200 million tonnes of fine dust every year, which can travel thousands of kilometres (miles), carried by winds and certain meteorological conditions.

The Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa saw just 12 days within a 90-day period from December to February where skies were free of Saharan dust, the local weather agency Aemet had reported.

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