Floods and landslides – Switzerland rained so hard – News



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  • It rained a lot in Ticino, Graubünden and northeastern Switzerland. The highest rainfall was recorded at Cevio in the Maggia Valley, with a good 294 millimeters.
  • As a result, there were floods and landslides in many places.
  • On Sunday morning, the focus of the rain shifted to the north side of the Alps. Local showers are still possible at the beginning of the week.

In Mosogno, in the Onsernone Valley, 278 millimeters of rain were measured from Friday to Sunday, and around 260 millimeters in the Locarno region. In Locarno that’s about 125 percent of the usual monthly rainfall in August. The highest amount of rainfall was recorded at the Bernina pass in the canton of Graubünden. There it was 219 millimeters.

On Sunday at noon, another storm line crossed Ticino. Around noon it brought another 25 millimeters of rain to Monte Generoso in 30 minutes. A similar line hit the Lake Maggiore area on Saturday afternoon.

On Saturday afternoon and Sunday night, the focus of the precipitation was in northern Ticino. In Cevio, in the Maggia Valley, for example, 245 millimeters of rain fell in 24 hours at noon on Sunday.

On Sunday, the hotspot was in eastern Switzerland.

On Sunday, the new focus of precipitation was in eastern Switzerland. In Ebnat-Kappel there was almost 80 millimeters of rain on Sunday morning, and 75 millimeters of rain was recorded at locations in Fürstenland and the canton of Thurgau.

In canton Schwyz there was a good 60 millimeters of rain from midnight to Sunday noon. Rain continued in eastern Switzerland until Sunday night. Even in the city of St. Gallen, 122 millimeters fell, corresponding to 75 percent of the average rainfall in August.

Large amounts of rain have also fallen in many places in Graubünden since Friday. The southern valleys of Misox, Bergell and Puschlav were particularly affected. But also in the bordering areas to the north, such as Surselva and Rheinwald, there were heavy rains.

Landslides and floods

The first floods and landslides occurred in Ticino on Friday, for example near Gandria on Lake Lugano, north of Bellinzona and near Madonna di Ponte. There was a rockfall on Saturday morning on the road between Ilanz and Trun in Surselva.

As of Saturday noon, reports of damage increased. The Maloja pass road had to be closed after the landslides on Saturday, and the Lukmanier pass road on Sunday morning. On Saturday afternoon, a train collided with a landslide on Lake Maggiore. People were not harmed.

On Sunday there were landslides in the Verzasca Valley in particular and the Maggia was flooded. In the canton of St. Gallen, the population was asked to stay away from the Rhine. On Sunday afternoon, 50 of the 77 municipal fire brigades were in action in the canton of St. Gallen due to the flooding. There was also a flood in the Thur.

At the beginning of the week, the situation is slowly calming down, individual downpours are possible until Wednesday inclusive on both sides of the Alps. However, the amount of precipitation remains relatively low.

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