The threat of flooding in French-speaking Switzerland
Published: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 18:40
Updated At: Tuesday, Nov 14th 2023, 18:43
Zurück zu Live Feed
After heavy rainfall, there is a risk of flooding in several places in western Switzerland. In Geneva, the Arve threatened to burst its banks. In Vaud, emergency services set up mobile dams along the Grande-Eau river in Aigle and the Orbe river in Vallorbe.
In the canton of Vaud, particularly in the Gros-de-Vaud region north of Lausanne, several roads had to be closed on Tuesday evening. The fire department, civil defense and police carried out dozens of operations due to fallen trees or branches, as Jean-Christophe Sauterel, head of communications for the cantonal command staff, told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The Arve river flooded in Geneva. The river, which has its source in the High Savoy Alps, carried more than 480 cubic meters of water per second on Tuesday, which is three times the average flow rate for the month of November. During the night from Tuesday to Wednesday, it could reach 600 to 800 cubic meters of water per second.
The high water level is due to the heavy rainfall over the past few hours in the entire Arve catchment area, which is already saturated with water. In addition, the rise in temperatures at high altitude is accelerating the melting of the snow cover.
Highlight of the night
In both Geneva and Vaud, the peak of the water rise in the rivers is expected in the night from Tuesday to Wednesday. Both cantons have called on the population to exercise caution.
They recommended staying away from rivers, streams, banks and steep slopes, avoiding walks in the forest and adhering to the instructions and restrictions of the local authorities. The federal government also warned of the risk of flooding and landslides in Saanenland in the canton of Bern.
Gale-force winds and mild temperatures
Storm "Jasper" was responsible for the heavy rainfall. It had already brought Switzerland a turbulent night on Tuesday. There were gale-force winds in the mountains. On the Jungfraujoch BE, meteorologists measured the eighth-highest wind peak of November at 177 kilometers per hour.
It also blew strongly on the Säntis AR with 137 km/h, followed by the Wildspitz SZ with 124 km/h, according to the weather service Meteonews. On the Chasseral BE in the Jura, the west wind was blowing at 115 km/h.
The westerly foehn pushed up the night temperatures. It was 19.4 degrees in Thun on Tuesday night. On both sides of the Alps, it remained mild for the time of year throughout the day at 12 to 16 degrees. In the north, there was continuous rain with a continuing stormy westerly wind. In the south, the sun shone from time to time.
Avalanche danger in Valais
The snow line was at 2500 meters above sea level and was expected to drop to 2000 meters by the evening. According to the Snow and Avalanche Research Institute (SLF), the first large avalanches fell in Valais. There was a high risk of avalanches in parts of the canton.
©Keystone/SDA
German 
English 
French 
Spanish 
Arabic