Windy, rainy and warm weather hits Switzerland

Temperatures in some parts of Switzerland reached a summery 25 degrees on Saturday, as a Foehn wind from the south continued to upset weather norms.

A Foehn wind is a dry southerly wind which occurs on the down-side slope of a mountain.

Quinten in canton St Gallen in the north east of the country recorded 25 degrees celsius on Saturday, while cantons Glarus and Uri recorded temperatures of 24 and 23 degrees respectively, according to the weather service Meteo Swiss.

The Foehn also brought gusty winds of around 140 kilometres per hour on the Titlis and Gotthard mountains in central Switzerland, and of around 100kph in the valleys.

Heavy rains, which have battered the Alpine and Ticino regions since Wednesday night, continued to fall. Meteo Suisse said 150 litres of water per square metre had fallen in Chiasso in canton Ticino.

“Intense and persistent” rain is expected to fall in several southern regions in the next 24 hours according to the Federal Environment Office.