The flooding in several parts of Switzerland which had disrupted both road and rail transport and the evacuation of people in some areas has eased, reports say.
This content was published on
1 minute
swissinfo.ch and agencies
But on the plains, the Aare river is still causing concern, especially in the Swiss capital Bern, where the river has risen by two metres, according to a police spokesman.
Cantons Bern, Valais, Nidwalden and Obwalden were among those particularly hard hit by flooding. Several brooks and rivers in these places overflowed on Monday and spilled their contents across streets and train tracks.
By Tuesday morning the situation was reported to have calmed in the Bernese Oberland, Valais and central Switzerland after rainfall stopped.
In the Bernese Oberland, however, the rail service between Zweilütschinen and Lauterbrunnen is expected to be disrupted for the next ten days, but the road to Lauterbrunnen has now been reopened.
The rail service between Frutigen and Kandersteg has been disrupted, as has those between Dallenwil in Nidwalden and Engelberg in Obwalden.
According to the Swiss national weather service, a warm front is to blame for the chaos.
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.
Read more
More
Climate change scenarios confirm warming
This content was published on
In the best case scenario – supposing a strong reduction in greenhouse gas emissions in the coming decades – temperatures would still rise by nearly two degrees celsius by the end of the century. In the worst case, average seasonal temperatures would rise by nearly five degrees. Using a new generation of global and European-scale…
This content was published on
While Tuesday’s light rain was quite welcome in many parts of the country, the authorities say it would take days of non-stop downpours to make up for the deficit of rain in recent weeks and months. According to a report by the Swiss Federal Environment Office, the levels of the lakes in Biel, Murten and…
This content was published on
However, the authorities still faced an immense task on Friday to clear driftwood blocking the flow of rivers, while many people were still not able to return their homes. A cold weather front that crossed Switzerland on Thursday brought further rain to many parts of the country. Between 3.0 and 7.5 litres per square metre…
This content was published on
Heavy rainfall and flooding in Bern as well as east and central Switzerland in August 2005 caused heavy damage amounting to SFr2.5 billion.
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.