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Stormy winds and lots of rain: Central Switzerland, Valais and Ticino are particularly affected by Storm Brigitte.
After heavy rains at Seedorf in the canton of Uri, the Reuss overflowed.
Photo: Urs Flüeler (Keystone)
The low “Brigitte” brought heavy rains in the south and foehn with hurricane gusts in the north over Switzerland on Saturday. In the municipality of Glarus Süd, 13 people had to be brought to safety and the cantonal road between Diesbach and Betschwanden was closed.
In the town of Diesbach, the situation was particularly critical, as the canton of Glarus reported on Saturday afternoon. The Diesbach not only carried a lot of water, it also carried debris. It was feared that it could leave the river bed and flood inhabited areas or the street.
That is why ten buildings in Diesbach were evacuated at 9 am A total of 13 residents had to get to safety. SBB temporarily suspended rail operations between Schwanden and Linthal, but reported shortly before noon that the disruption had ended.
The dredging should now prevent the Diesbach from overflowing. More than 100 people with construction machines were working, as the canton wrote. A reliable forecast about the subsequent course of events is currently not possible.
Because the ground was so saturated with water, the 100 millimeters of rain that had fallen since Friday quickly disappeared. The amount of precipitation reached the red warning level. Also, there was snowmelt after the foehn storm. In southern Grosstal and in the Sernftal in particular, streams and rivers carried a lot of water.
High water alarm for the Reuss
Also in the canton of Uri, the flood situation worsened in the course of the morning. The A2 motorway between Beckenried NW and Erstfeld UR was closed in both directions early Saturday morning. In Seefeld, the Reuss’s flood alarm went off at midnight, a spokeswoman for the Uri cantonal police said at the request of the Keystone-SDA news agency.
The A2 between Beckenried and Erstfeld is closed due to flooding.
Photo: Urs Flüeler (Keystone)
As a result, the highway between Beckenried NW and Erstfeld UR was closed to drain Reuss’s water into it. That is why the A2 between Seedorf and Attinghausen was under water. It was initially unclear when the lock could be lifted.
120 truckers awake
The motorway service station on the Gotthard route and the heavy traffic hub in Erstfeld have been evacuated, a spokesman said on request. In the heavy traffic center, the 120 truckers present were awakened and asked to continue driving in consultation with the Cantonal Police of Ticino. Transit traffic, especially heavy traffic, was diverted in both directions on the A13 through San Bernadino.
Due to the highway closure, the cantonal roads between Flüelen and Erstfeld were overloaded. The police strongly recommended driving through the canton of Uri. The cantonal road between Hospental and Realp was also closed. All Uri Alpine passes must remain closed until at least Sunday morning. In the other cantons of central Switzerland, however, the weather situation remained calm, as a survey by the cantonal police showed.
Total October precipitation in 24 hours
Also in Ticino it came out of buckets on Saturday morning. According to SRF Meteo, it had rained more than usual for the entire month of October in 24 hours. For example, in Mosogno 305 millimeters of rain fell. Otherwise, in Ticino and neighboring areas, there was in some cases more than 100 millimeters of precipitation. Several roads in the southern canton were closed due to damage.
Heavy rains caused flooding on the roads of Mergozzo (I).
In Graubünden, Rüfen had fallen in several places on Saturday morning. The road in Bergell, which connects Italy with the Upper Engadine, was temporarily closed in the morning for safety reasons because the Bondasca was flooded near Bondo, as a police spokesman said. After about two hours, the road could be used again with restrictions.
Roads closed in Valais
In the canton of Valais, several secondary roads became impassable. The road between Sion and Sanetschpass was closed in both directions due to storm damage. There have been landslides in the Upper Valais in particular, the spokesperson said in the morning. According to a police spokesman, the situation was under control. As a precautionary measure, the Simplon Pass and the Nufenen Pass have also been closed. Fire brigades are in action due to impassable roads. Authorities warn
In the canton of Bern, in Unterbach, near Meiringen, the Aare overflowed on the brünig side, said Ramona Mock of the Bern canton police. As it was not known with certainty whether the dam between the Aare and the main road would withstand the water pressure, the road was temporarily closed. In addition, the cows have been evacuated.
The trails and cycle paths along the Rhine are closed.
In the Rhine Valley of St. Gallen, precautions have been taken for a possible flood. As a precautionary measure, trails and cycle paths have been closed along the Rhine. People were asked to stay away from the Rhine.
There were also snags in the rail traffic early in the morning on Saturday, as the rail traffic information showed. Traffic between Meiringen and Interlaken Ost in the canton of Bern was temporarily interrupted due to flooding and the route between Münster VS and Andermatt UR was interrupted for an indefinite period due to the risk of flooding.
The route between Brig VS and Domodossola in Italy was initially closed, but could be reopened in the morning.
Heavy rains also abroad
Following storms and floods in the southern French metropolis region of Nice, at least nine people are missing, according to media reports. Among them are two members of the fire department who were on duty, as Franceinfo news channel reported on Saturday, citing authorities.
Prime Minister Jean Castex and Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin arrived in Nice at noon to get a picture of the affected Alpes-Maritimes department, the BFM television news channel reported. Castex had announced the trip on short notice.
The weather situation is calming down, but there is considerable damage and many people missing, Nice Mayor Christian Estrosi said via Twitter. “We are facing a disaster that I have never seen in the Alpes-Maritimes (department),” the conservative politician told French media.
Interior Minister Darmanin had announced the dispatch of additional helicopters and firefighters to the region after a crisis meeting in Paris.
Heavy rains had led to flooding and chaotic traffic conditions, especially in the mountainous interior of Nice. At Nice airport, flight operations have returned to normal, the airport announced via Twitter.
Around 13,500 homes in the region were without electricity. The media reported on villages that were no longer accessible.
Numerous people were rescued from the bodies of water. Around 850 firefighters were on duty in the affected Alpes-Maritimes department. During the summer months, Nice and the Côte d’Azur are popular regions for tourists, including those from Germany.
