Spring temperatures in Ticino and gale-force winds in the Alps
Published: Saturday, Dec 23rd 2023, 18:20
Updated At: Saturday, Dec 23rd 2023, 18:20
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Gale-force winds in the north and record temperatures in the south: the weather in Switzerland had it all on Saturday. The storm on the mountains reached speeds of more than 140 kilometers per hour, after over 180 kilometers per hour on Friday night.
The winds had an impact on the operations of the Matterhorn Gotthard Railway, as well as on shipping traffic on Lake Constance. The Matterhorn Gotthard Bahn suspended operations between Andermatt UR and Disentis GR due to strong winds, as the railroad company announced on X. Shipping services between Romanshorn and Friedrichshafen in Germany were also suspended due to wind, as RailInfo announced on X.
In Sempach LU, the lakeside path was also closed on Saturday afternoon until further notice. The strong winds combined with the high water level of Lake Sempach had caused major damage to the path, the town announced.
The storm that has been sweeping across Switzerland since Thursday weakened slightly on Saturday, according to SRF Meteo. In the night to Friday, wind speeds of 181 and 184 kilometers per hour were measured on the Jungfraujoch BE and the Gornergrat VS; on Saturday, the value was still 142 kilometers per hour. The peak values in the eastern lowlands were also just under 90 kilometers per hour on Saturday.
Over 22 degrees in Ticino
In the south, the northerly foehn also caused extreme gusts, but also warm temperatures. Locarno in Ticino set a December temperature record of 22.3 degrees, according to the weather service SRF Meteo. This clearly broke the previous record of 20.9 degrees set on December 4, 1967. In Biasca TI, 22.0 degrees was recorded, but the station there has only been in operation for a few years and therefore does not yet have any reliable climate statistics.
In Lugano, 21.3 degrees were measured, the only time it was warmer there was on December 5, 1931. A new December record was also set in Stabio near Chiasso TI with 20.6 degrees.
According to SRF Meteo, the storm is expected to weaken over the course of Saturday evening. However, it will remain windy in the coming days, especially in the mountains, according to the weather service.
©Keystone/SDA
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