Heat warning issued in western and southern Switzerland
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Heat warning issued in western and southern Switzerland
At midday on Friday, authorities declared a danger level of 3 out of 5 for certain parts of western Switzerland and Ticino.
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Areas affected are the Lake Geneva region, Lower Valais, the Three-Lakes region, the Broye in Fribourg and canton Ticino, according to the federal authorities’ natural hazards portalExternal link.
A danger level of 3 is declared if the average daily temperature is expected to exceed 25°C for more than three consecutive days.
In affected regions below 800 metres above sea level, maximum temperatures of 32-35°C and humidity of 35-45% are expected by Wednesday evening. For the rest of the country, the risk is deemed moderate or non-existent. That said, temperatures in the central plateau region could rise to 34°C at times.
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Forest fire risk in Valais
There is also a high risk of forest fires in parts of canton Valais. In the Visp Valley, Simplon Nord and south of the Lötschberg, the government has even declared the highest danger level 5. At this level, there is a risk of very hot fires, large-scale crown fires or sparks flying over long distances, according to the hazards portal.
Fires can break out at any time and spread very quickly over long periods of time – as such, fires should be lit outdoors, authorities recommend.
In the Valais areas of Sion-Sierre, Nicolai, Binn and Saas, the danger level is also high at warning level 4, while in the rest of the canton the forest fire danger is still considerable at level 3. The situation is less worrying in the rest of Switzerland.
Translated from German by DeepL/dos
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