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Massive Swiss snowfall levels buck the trend

This week, the Swiss resort towns of Andermatt, Zermatt and Davos have all seen record or near-record snow levels. But it's an outlier in a years-long trend of declining snowfall totals.

2012 was the last time in the past decade that so much snow fell in a single day. In Davos and Zermatt, the snow level as of yesterday eclipsed that total. As a result, the whole area is on high alert for avalanches, and several towns have been cut off from transport networks.

But on the whole, snowfall levels in all three resorts have been on the decline in the past several years, as the darker colours on these graphics show. 

External Content

Scenes from Val d’Anniviers in canton Valais, north of Zermatt, show what record snowfall looks like for the people living there. 

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Two men measuring the height of snow

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Southern Swiss valley copes with record amounts of snow

This content was published on Such record-breaking accumulation requires specialised management practices, such as triggering controlled avalanches using explosives. Residents must also cope with road closures and, in some cases, evacuations due to the threat of avalanches and landslides. (RTS/swissinfo.ch)

Read more: Southern Swiss valley copes with record amounts of snow
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Text by Veronica DeVore, swissinfo.ch

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