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SWISS WEATHER

‘Intense continuous rain’: Switzerland extends heavy weather forecast until end of week

Many Swiss regions are still impacted by rains and winds, with more of the same expected until the end of the week.

'Intense continuous rain': Switzerland extends heavy weather forecast until end of week
A flooded field in western Switzerland. Photo by √

The Federal Office of Meteorology (MeteoSchweiz) is reporting “intense continuous rain” over much of the country.

Flooding remains a major threat, as lakes and rivers are overflowing in some regions.

This is the situation in parts of the country right now

A Danger Notice 3, which means “marked danger”, has been issued for Lake Geneva, as its present level “is worrying”, according to Etienne Monbaron, hydrologist at the city’s Water Ecology Service.

The lake will continue to rise slowly throughout Thursday and Friday, reaching “levels not seen for decades”, Monbaron predicted.

Cantons of Geneva and Vaud are affected, along with towns on the French side of the lake.

In central Switzerland, Lake Luzern and Lake Thun have exceeded the flood threshold during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, while Lake Biel / Bienne is at the limit.

The Zurich waters were all just below alert level 4 on Wednesday morning, a few centimetres below the high water mark. However, the canton expects that this mark will be exceeded in the next few days.

The level of the Limmat river is also likely to rise further due to the high level of Lake Zurich. As a precautionary measure, the Sihlsee dam was lowered on Tuesday evening so as not to put additional strain on the Limmat.

In Basel, the water level on the Rhine is too high, paralysing shipping traffic on the river in Switzerland’s only international port.

How long is this situation expected to last?

More rain is forecast for Thursday, causing further flooding.

This weather is likely to continue until Saturday, with water accumulation reaching up to 150 litres per square metre, further filling up rivers and lakes in some regions.

Alert level 4 out of 5 is not excluded for this weekend, according to MeteoSchweiz.

What can you do to keep safe?

Authorities advise against walking or standing on the banks of lakes and rivers.

If you live in close proximity to waterways, you should remove vehicles from underground garages.

And you should also stay continually informed about the situation in your area with the AlertSwiss App.

READ MORE: Thunderstorms and wild weather to continue across Switzerland until Thursday

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SWISS WEATHER

Thunderstorms and wild weather to continue across Switzerland until Thursday

Heavy rains — predicted to continue until Thursday in some areas — have caused major damage across Switzerland. Here’s an overview.

Thunderstorms and wild weather to continue across Switzerland until Thursday
Thunderstorms, rain and flooding: that's the situation in Switzerland right now. Photo by Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

The Federal Office of Meteorology (MeteoSchweiz) issued heavy rainfall and flooding alert warnings for most of Switzerland for the next 24 hours, likely continuing until Thursday at least.

This is the situation right now in some parts of the country:

Zurich

Along with rain, violent gusts of wind exceeding 100 km / h have caused flooding, broken and uprooted trees and other damage across the city and canton.

Between two and three centimetres of rain fell on certain communities in 10 minutes.

Numerous roads were closed as rescue services carried out hundreds interventions in the city and outlying areas.

Geneva

Tuesday morning, emergency services blocked access to the banks of the Arve as the rains caused the level of the river to swell and carry a lot of waste. The level of the Rhône, as well as Lake Geneva, has also increased sharply, sparking concerns of flooding.

Vaud

Rain caused sewer grates to raise, along with landslides and numerous fallen trees throughout the canton. Some underground pedestrian tunnels were also flooded.

Bern

The thunderstorms were accompanied in some areas by large hailstones.

However, the main concern in the canton is the high and still rising level of water in the Aar river and some lakes. For instance, the level on Lake Biel / Bienne went up by nearly half a metre by Tuesday morning and is still rising.

Valais

Heavy rains saturated the soil so much that further heavy rains could trigger landslides and overflows of rivers along the Rhône as well as nearby valleys.

Jura

Along with a number of flooded villages, heavy storm and gusts also “devastated” large parts of forests around St. Ursanne.

The rain, wing and flooding are inevitably causing disruptions and disturbances on many lines of the Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) network.

You can check the current situation on the SBB app.

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