Föhn storm hits Switzerland with gale-force winds
Published: Friday, Mar 29th 2024, 11:31
Updated At: Saturday, Mar 30th 2024, 03:41
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A Föhn storm hit parts of Switzerland on Friday and caused violent gusts. On the Gütsch, above Andermatt UR, a peak of 190 kilometers per hour (km/h) was measured in the late evening, according to SRF Meteo.
The highest wind speed measured in the valleys was 130 km/h in Altdorf UR, according to a statement from SRF Meteo on Saturday night. The reason for the southerly foehn winds with gale-force gusts was a stationary low-pressure area near the British Isles.
Strong gusts also swept across the lowlands. According to the weather service Meteonews, the wind blew at 112 km/h in Meiringen in the canton of Bern and 104 km/h in Altenrhein in St. Gallen. Due to the storm, several cable cars were shut down or only opened later, including in central Switzerland on the Rigi Scheidegg and the Pilatus.
Canopy collapses
The weather had consequences for a 60-year-old woman at the Jakobsbad campsite in Appenzell Innerrhoden on Friday: The canopy of a caravan, which had been torn from its anchoring by the storm, fell on her. The woman suffered moderate injuries and was treated by the Appenzell Rescue Service and Rega and flown to a central hospital, as the cantonal police wrote in a statement that evening.
The storm over Lake Geneva also put the historic steamboat "Simplon" in a precarious situation. The swaying of the ship, which docked in Cully VD, threatened to break the jetty, as a spokesperson for the Vaud cantonal police confirmed to the Keystone-SDA news agency. The incident was first reported by RTS television in western Switzerland. According to the police, the ship was also damaged. No one was injured. The fire department was still working at midnight to secure the jetty and the boat.
According to meteorologists, the Föhn storm will continue to rage until Monday. The strongest phase was expected until midday on Saturday. According to SRF Meteo, it will remain mild and mostly dry in the north. In the south, it will continue to rain heavily at times. More than 30 millimetres of precipitation had already fallen in northern Ticino on Good Friday.
©Keystone/SDA
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