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In pics: Switzerland sees first snow of the winter

After a long summer and a warm autumn, parts of Switzerland saw heavy snowfall on the weekend, while authorities have issues an alert about possible flooding and landslides as heavy rain hits the south of the country.

Published: 29 October 2018 09:45 CET
In pics: Switzerland sees first snow of the winter
File image of a tourist at the Jungfraujoch in the Swiss canton of Bern. Photo: AFP

The snow came on Saturday night, just as the clocks were turned back an hour marking the end of Central European Summer Time.

The heaviest falls were seen in the eastern Alps with large parts of the canton of Graubünden over 1,200 metres above sea level seeing 30–70 centimetres of new snow.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

#eurasierinthesnow #prewintermornings #graubünden

A post shared by Reto Jäger (@swisshuntergr) on Oct 28, 2018 at 2:29am PDT

 

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

First snow of the season ❄ as seen by @ellunas

A post shared by Graubünden (@graubuenden) on Oct 28, 2018 at 12:46am PDT

The Graubünden resort town of Arosa notched up the heaviest snowfall with 72 centimetres. Parts of southern Valais also saw 20–30 centimetres of the white stuff while the city of La Chaux-de-Fonds in Jura had nine centimetres.

 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 

WINTER GREETINGS . 28 October 2018 It is the first kiss of winter – at least in the alps. I was so excited like a little child – even more than @rastawhiteshepherd ???. For me – when all around is white – I feel like I am in a fairytale… maybe as a red haired witch ?‍♀️?????? . . . #exploretheworld #nikondeutschland #ic_landscapes #loves_mountains #inlovewithswitzerland #blickheimat #hoherkasten #destination_Switzerland #switzerland_vacations #switzerlandpictures #super_switzerland #splendid_nature #splendid_earth #visitswitzerland #wonderful_places #best_earthscapes #nikonswitzerland #splendid_nature #splendid_earth #visitswitzerland #wonderful_places #best_earthscapes #earthfocus #winteriscoming

A post shared by Sylvia Michel ?? (@michelphotography_ch) on Oct 28, 2018 at 7:47am PDT

 

Meanwhile, the canton of Ticino was hit by very heavy rains over the weekend. On Sunday, some places in the canton experienced more than a months' average rainfall in less than 24 hours.

These heavy rains are set to continue until Tuesday, with parts of Valais and Ticino to be hardest hit. Authorities have issues warnings about possible landslides, mudslides and flooding across the south of the country. Gale force winds are also expected.

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.

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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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