- Large amounts of precipitation fell in the central and eastern Alps on Friday.
- The rivers Sitter and Thur flooded in the afternoon. The canton of Thurgau asked people to leave the areas near the river.
- The situation calmed down in the course of the evening and the canton lifted the two warnings.
According to SRF Meteo, in the catchment area of the Sitter, more than 50 mm of rain fell in six hours in Appenzell (AI). In the St. Gallen Rhine Valley at the Oberriet/Kriessern measuring station, more than 150 mm were measured within 24 hours until the evening. This roughly corresponds to the average rainfall for the whole of August in the region.
In the canton of St. Gallen, there were more than 200 fire brigade operations before 9 p.m., said a spokesman for the St. Gallen cantonal police. The fire brigade was increasingly called out because of flooded basements. The main road between Weesen and Amden was flooded and had to be closed. The cantonal police expected the road to be open again late Friday evening.
A neighborhood street in Amden, on the other hand, would remain blocked for a longer period of time due to a landslide. The cantonal police in St. Gallen were not aware of any injuries and the amount of property damage was unclear.
The fire brigade in the canton of Schwyz was also constantly on duty, as a spokesman for the cantonal police in Schwyz said. At noon, a landslide hit the road between Seewen and Lauerz, and according to the announcement, the connection will probably remain closed for the whole weekend
The federal government issued a level 3 severe weather warning (“considerable danger”) for parts of central and eastern Switzerland due to intense continuous rain. This is valid until midnight. SRF Meteo also warns of local flooding.