Swiss Rhône river region braces for possible flooding
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Swiss Rhône river region braces for possible flooding
A pre-alert for possible flooding has been announced for the Rhône river as some regions of Switzerland brace for bad weather.
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A level 2 (limited danger) warning could be possible on Thursday for a stretch of the Rhône from Gletsch to Martigny. MeteoSwiss advises people to stay away from watercourses, including dry stream beds, the banks of lakes or rivers and steep slopes.
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A rise in river flow is expected from Wednesday night onwards. For this reason, the Organe cantonal de conduite (OCC) has issued a pre-alert for the river, which means that the relevant control staffs are preparing to carry out active monitoring of the dykes.
In addition, the OCC is maintaining its recommendations to the public not to go near watercourses, not to park on bridges, to limit their movements, not to film or photograph events, to avoid cellars and underground garages in the event of flooding and to comply strictly with the orders of the authorities.
In a press release issued around midday on Wednesday, the OCC said it was “continuously monitoring and analysing the situation”.
Upper Valais on alert
In the Upper Valais, particularly in the southern Simplon region, the Saas Valley, the Mattertal and the Binntal, heavy rainfall is expected between Tuesday 6pm and Thursday 6pm.
On Wednesday, MeteoSwiss confirmed a “very high” danger level of 5/5. It has already been raining heavily since the morning. At this stage, no major damage has been reported. The degree of vigilance remains increased for watercourses in the regions concerned. Overflows, debris flows along side streams and landslides or landslides may occur.
Heavy snowfall is also expected in the region between Wednesday 6pm and Thursday 6pm, sometimes reaching the valley bottoms. MeteoSwiss is talking about a possible accumulation of 60 to 120 cm above 2,000 metres, or even more on the high peaks.
The Zermatt valley also remains under a “strong” level 4 severe weather warning and a level 3 snowfall warning. Some 80 to 150 mm of rain and between 40 and 60 cm of snow above 1,500 metres are expected, according to the MétéoSuisse bulletin issued on Wednesday morning.
Translated from French by DeepL/mga
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