Occasionally violent thunderstorms have marked this Pentecost weekend with torrential and unstable weather all around in Switzerland. Damage is limited to uprooted trees, tents, and shattered roofs. Three people were slightly injured in the Haut Valley.
Over the past few days, Switzerland has been in the shadow of a warm, humid and unstable southwesterly current, MeteoSwiss notes on its blog. Thus, on Saturday, mercury approached 30 degrees in Valais.
Several storm cells crossed the country in particular at night from Saturday to Sunday, and then again on Sunday from midday, as indicated by the various meteorological services. It was accompanied by rain, sometimes severe, winds with violent gusts, sometimes hail, often lightning.
The wind is in question in the three cases that caused the injuries. Two people were slightly injured in Turtmann (VS) when the tent set up for the soccer tournament flew away. They were taken to the hospital for a medical examination. A third person was injured when a branch fell at the Brigerbad (VS) camping site.
giveaway register
In this city there are about forty people who were injured by falling branches, especially at the camp site. And throughout the Upper Valais, firefighters carried out about twenty interventions due to high or partially raised ceilings, as well as collapsing scaffolding.
Between 12:30 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. Sunday, Valais police received at least 400 calls, most of which reported trees falling on roads, a spokesman for Stève Léger told Keystone-ATS. “It’s rare but not exceptional.”
Wind strength was exceptional, especially in Visp, with a peak of 108.7 km/h which the city had not reached in June since measurements began. In Sion, MeteoSwiss notes wind gusts of 71 km/h.
rain
But in Egolzwil (LU), the weather station recorded the highest value on the plain this weekend, at 132.8 km/h on Sunday at dawn. 25.8 liters per square meter fell there in less than half an hour, including 17 liters / m2 in just 10 minutes.
Other areas were more irrigated: according to MeteoSwiss, the largest amount fell in just ten minutes in Oberiberg (SZ) at 22.9 l/m2. It rained about the same amount in the same time period in Eggersriet (SG) (22.5 l/m2). . In Fionnay (VS), more than 10 l/m2 of rain fell in 10 minutes.
hail
Violent hailstorms occurred in many places. MeteoSwiss has reported hail of about three centimeters in St. Stephen in the Bernese Oberland. Meteorological service images also showed hail-covered meadows in canton St Gallen and the Appenzell region.
Also in central Switzerland, photos and videos from readers on various news portals show severe hail. In the Valais Alps, Val de Bagnes and Val d’Hérens were affected. The harm of hail is unknown at this time.
Love at first sight
Lightning damage is known. And so it caused fires in the attic of Samnaun (GR) and the roof of a school in Eaux-Vives in Geneva, where lessons can be given without further ado from Tuesday.
Meteonews recorded about 23,500 lightning strikes across Switzerland on Sunday. The canton of Bern was particularly affected by more than 3,000 lightning strikes. However, it is far from exceptional. Last year, for example, the Weather Service more than doubled on June 28.
Authorities issued an alert south of the Alps, urging residents to stay indoors. SRF Meteo announced on Sunday noon that there is a risk to life and physical safety. In the end, the area was not affected more than anywhere else, with uprooted trees being the most visible damage in Ticino.
This article was published automatically. Source: ats
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