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STORM

New storm to hit Switzerland on Thursday

The Swiss bureau of meteorology, MeteoSwiss, has issued a storm warning for Switzerland for Thursday. Activity is forecast to peak from noon until night.

Published: 12 February 2020 18:02 CET
New storm to hit Switzerland on Thursday
A file photo of a storm over Lake Geneva. Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

The new front, which has formed in the British Isles, is set to arrive in Switzerland around lunchtime. The warning level has been set at 3 out of a possible 5 for the majority of the country, with only the Lake Geneva region given a lower rating (of 2 out of 5). 

Named ’Tomris’ in German, it is set to bring winds of up to 100km/h on the lowlands and of up to 120km/h in mountainous areas. 

READ: Why do storms in Switzerland have two names? 

Rain and snow are also expected. 

While conditions are set to run for most of the day on Thursday, a clear front is predicted to move in and bring with it sunnier weather on Friday heading into the weekend. 

Several lowland areas have predicted temperatures of 14 degrees on Sunday. 

Warmest winter on record

Despite the storm fronts which have gripped the country for over a week, the winter has been mild from a temperature perspective. 

With averages 2.5 degrees higher than the previous high set in the winter of 2006-07, this winter is set to be the warmest ever recorded. 

 

 

Another record was broken in Zurich on Wednesday.

The mark of February 12th is the latest date in the season that the city has not seen snowfall. Zurich’s weather is not predicted to drop below zero in the coming week, meaning a new record will be set. 

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CLIMATE

Four dead as storms, floods and tornadoes wreak havoc across northern and central Italy

High winds, tornadoes and giant hail: extreme weather hit many parts of Italy's north and centre-north this weekend, leaving at least four holidaymakers dead and causing widespread damage. Weather alerts continue over the coming days.

Published: 31 August 2020 09:28 CEST
Four dead as storms, floods and tornadoes wreak havoc across northern and central Italy
File photo: Marco Bertorello/AFP

Severe weather has been reported over the weekend everywhere  from South Tyrol down to the central region of Lazio around Rome, with at least four people killed in two separate incidents, and several reported missing.

In Tuscany, two girls aged three and 14 were reportedly killed on Saturday night when a tornado reportedly uprooted a tree which hit their tent at a campsite in Marina di Massa.

Two German tourists were killed on Sunday night during severe flooding on the Brenner state road near Bolzano, South Tyrol, the Ansa news agency reports. A family car collided with a lorry, killing two of the passengers; a 45-year-old father and 67-year-old grandmother. A seven-year-old boy and his grandfather reportedly survived, while the lorry driver was unhurt. 

The vehicles had been diverted onto the local road when the motorway was closed due to storms. The motorway has now reopened on Monday, however train lines in the area remain closed.

A 38-year-old man has been reported missing in the Varese area after being swept away by a swollen river.

The city of Verona is bracing for further flooding after being hit by multiple waves of bad weather since August 23rd, with high winds and giant hailstones also causing considerable damage in the area.

Severe damage was reported across much of the Veneto region, with the Vicenza and Belluno areas also hit particularly hard. The famed ski resort of Cortina d'Ampezzo in Belluno suffered landslides due to strong winds and heavy rain.

In the Vicenza area of Veneto a tromba d'aria (small tornado) flattened trees, fences and road signs and damaged buildings.

The bad weather reached neighbouring Lombardy with hailstones “the size of eggs” reported in Cremona and Mantova, and heavy rain and flooding in Alessandria.

And in Bergamo, firefighters had to clear roads made impassable by severe hail.

Meanwhile in parts of the south, fire crews have been battling blazes in woods and scrubland from southern Tuscany and Marche to Sicily after a hot, dry summer. 
 
Italy's Civl Protection department continued to issue weather warnings on Monday with orange (level two) alerts in place for Veneto, Trentino Alto Adige and Lazio.
 
 
Lower-level yellow alerts were also issued for Friuli Venezia Giulia, Lombardy and Tuscany.
 
With the wave of bad weather expected to spread south over Monday and Tuesday, yellow alerts were also issued for the regions of Abruzzo, Emilia Romagna, Marche, Molise, Puglia, Sicily, Tuscany and Umbria on Monday.
 

 

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