Torrential rain continued to hit Switzerland for a second night running, this time focusing on the north-western canton of Jura. Villages in the area were flooded as the river Schuelte burst its banks and several roads were closed.
The heavy rainfall also affected parts of eastern Switzerland. It was responsible for an avalanche and landslide that cut off the St Bernard Pass in canton Valais overnight – which reopened during the morning. No fatalities or injuries have been reported.
Jura took the brunt of the downpour where more than 100 firefighters spent the night pumping out flooded cellars. Some 76 millimetres of rain fell on Movelier overnight, according to the authorities. The villages of Courroux and Vicques were left practically unreachable by road on Wednesday morning.
MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, expected rain to move into Alpine regions and continue throughout the morning before abating later this afternoon.
Tuesday marked the second straight night of heavy rain and stormy weather in Switzerland. On Tuesday evening Geneva received a major downpour with flooding in Genthod, Versoix and Veyrier.
On Monday night, storms caused severe disruption in Lausanne, flooding streets and houses and cutting some rail lines.
The police received over 500 emergency calls and the fire service responded to 240 incidents on Monday alone. There were no reports of people being injured that night.
MeteoSwiss measured 14.5 millimetres of rain per hour in the Lausanne region at midnight. The public broadcaster SRF Meteo said a record 41.1mm of rain fell in Lausanne in a ten-minute period at around 11pm on Monday. The previous ten-minute record was 36.1mm in Eschenz, canton Thurgau, in 2017.
Swiss climate activists block vehicles near Gotthard tunnel
This content was published on
Around ten climate activists briefly blocked the A2 motorway near the northern entrance of the Gotthard tunnel on Thursday.
Watches belonging to Michael Schumacher up for auction
This content was published on
Schumacher's family is auctioning off eight rare watches from his collection in Geneva. The Christie's auction will take place on Monday.
Joya Marleen and Baschi named best solo acts at Swiss Music Awards
This content was published on
St. Gallen singer Joya Marleen and Baschi from Basel were named artists of the year at the Swiss Music Awards 2024 on Wednesday night.
Swiss authorities announce cost-cutting in asylum sector
This content was published on
The government notably wants to improve integration into the labour force, particularly for people with protection status S.
Various leaders confirm participation at Ukraine peace conference
This content was published on
The presidents of Poland, Finland, and Latvia and the prime ministers of Spain and Belgium will be at the Swiss-hosted talks in mid-June.
This content was published on
In the winter season up to April 2024, railway and cable car operators ferried 3% more visitors compared to the previous winter, and 5% more than the five-year average.
Rhine flooding: Swiss to invest CHF1 billion with Austria
This content was published on
As part of an international agreement with Austria, the Swiss government wants to pump CHF1 billion ($1.1 billion) into flood protection measures along the Rhine over the next three decades.
Swiss government proposes CHF10 million UNRWA donation
This content was published on
After months of debate, Switzerland plans to give CHF10 million ($11 million) to the UN agency this year, rather than the CHF20 million initially foreseen.
This content was published on
Switzerland is tidying up after the storm Burglind. Additional destruction could follow in the form of high water and avalanches.
This content was published on
Catastrophic flooding in 1999, 2005 and 2007 led to reforms in water management in Bern. Bernard Wehren, the hydrologist in charge of regulating lake levels, told swissinfo what changes were made and what effect they have had. (SRF/swissinfo.ch)
This content was published on
While 2014 was poor, the most famous “year without a summer” was in 1816. Swiss researchers now think they know why it was wet as well as cold.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.