Pentecost weekend – hailstorms have swept over Switzerland – News

  • A particularly strong thunderstorm cell with hurricane gusts passed over southern Switzerland on Sunday afternoon.
  • It brought hailstorms with grains around 5 centimeters in size, which is why SRF Meteo briefly warned of danger to life and limb.
  • In the meantime, the storm has moved on to Italy. On the night of Whit Monday, only isolated thunderstorms are to be expected in Switzerland.
  • The Axenstrasse between Flüelen and Sisikon in the canton of Uri is closed due to a rockfall.

Locally, heavy rain, hail and storms were to be expected from midday, especially in central and eastern Switzerland. In addition to heavy rain, hail and storms, the pre-Alps also threatened hurricane gusts, wrote SRF Meteo in the weather report. In the second half of the day, the focus of the thunderstorms shifted to southern and eastern Switzerland.

Axenstrasse closed after falling rocks

The Axenstrasse between Flüelen and Sisikon in the canton of Uri was completely closed to traffic on Sunday afternoon. According to the national alarm app Alertswiss, a rockfall is the cause of the closure – due to the severe storms and hailstorms.

Due to the current weather situation with heavy rain, further rockfalls and mudslides cannot be ruled out at the moment, writes the canton of Uri in a statement. “For safety reasons, the Axenstrasse will therefore remain closed to traffic between the Flüelen roundabout and the Wolfsprung junction until further notice.”

It is still unclear how long Axenstrasse will be closed. A diversion via the Seelisberg tunnel and Lucerne is recommended for transit traffic.

Heavy hailstorms

Heavy thunderstorms swept over the cantons of Freiburg, Bern, Lucerne and Aargau on Sunday night. According to SRF Meteo, there was a hailstorm in the Lucerne hinterland at night. The measuring station in Egolzwil registered 17 millimeters of rain in just 10 minutes and a hurricane of 133 kilometers per hour.

According to SRF Meteo, more than 5,000 lightning bolts were also registered on the night of Pentecost Sunday. In the Bernese Gürbental, for example, the thunderstorms erupted every second.

No major damage

The thunderstorms have been severe so far. However, it does not appear that there was any major damage. A request from the Keystone-SDA news agency to the Bern cantonal police revealed that there were no special operations or phone calls.

Legend:

In 2021, severe storm damage occurred in Switzerland.

key stone

More prospects

On Whit Monday, the tendency to shower is increased, especially in the mountains, and the next disruption will follow on Tuesday, according to SRF Meteo.

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