The bad weather has started to improve since Thursday afternoon. electricity failures, cut roads and a risk of branch falls remain topical, especially in Valais. No major or injured damage are to be deplored.
The Simplon and Val Maggia region (TI) were particularly affected by strong precipitation, as indicated by the confederation natural dangers alert. According to it, the precipitation intensified Wednesday afternoon and the limit of snowfall has dropped to the plain, in Valais.
In Haut-Valais, on the Valais Alps crest as well as in the Bernese Oberland, it fell 100 mm of precipitation in 24 hours, with about 1 meter of fresh snow measured at 2,500 meters above sea level. In the Rhône Valley, snow has reached low altitudes, with about 10 cm of snow in Sion and 30 cm in aid.
For the meteorologist Frédéric Glassey, quoted in time, “the snowfall have consequences but if all this precipitation had fallen in the form of rain, we could have faced more serious disasters”.
Valais: deleted school
The Valais cantonal conduct body (OccV) calls the population for vigilance because of the current instability of the field. It maintains its recommendations to limit travel until Friday, especially in the forest. “A few small localized showers are expected in the coming days in Valais,” said the occurrence, which also calls not to practice off-piste mountain skiing due to an always marked risk of avalanche.
Early Thursday morning, the Valais Council of State declared the particular situation in the canton due to strong snowfall, avalanches and falls of trees that can occur at any altitude. Schools of all levels, including professionals, remained closed this Thursday, on the eve of the Pascales holidays by decision of the government.
Sierre et sion strongly impacted
The branches of several hundred trees fell in Sierre, the city’s communication service told Keystone-Ats. In Sion, for security reasons, “access to Montorge, the islands and the banks of the Borgne remains prohibited to the public until Tuesday noon”, according to a press release from the city.
On the side of Martigny, falls of branches on secondary roads and in gardens in the village of Charrat, specifies the communication department of the Octudurian city. No damage is to be reported in Monthey, where he has not snowed.
-Electric and mobile networks problems
The Val d’Hérens as well as that of Anniviers were deprived of electricity during part of the morning. The situation is almost everywhere restored according to the company Oiken. Many municipalities in Haut-Valais (Loèche, Rarogne, Vallée de Saas) remain impacted.
The mobile network is also disrupted. Swisscom announces disturbances on its site in certain Valais regions and in the Bernese Oberland. Contacted by Keystone-ATS, Salt also shares a limited or even completely interrupted network in the cantons of Bern and Valais. Sunrise announces mobile coverage limited to Evolène.
The Valais Police Center for Police is “overloaded with non -urgent calls”, more than 2,500 in 24 hours. It prays the population to call in the event of real emergency. Bernese police said they had received around forty reports since Wednesday evening. She is not aware of any injured in the canton.
Strongly disturbed trafficking
The bad weather still disrupts road and rail traffic, in Valais. Several roads are inaccessible. This is the case with those of Simplon and Grand-Saint-Bernard. The only big damage was caused by an avalanche on the GD-St-Bernard road which damaged the protective gallery before the tunnel. Security measures will have to be taken before being able to reopen the road, the Federal Road Office (OFROU) said on Thursday evening. This closure temporarily interrupts the connection with Italy.
The road leading to the SaaS valley, from Stalden, will remain closed at least until Friday 10:00 am. The cantonal road is also closed between Goppenstein and Blaten (Lötschental), between Mörel and Lax (Valley of Conches), Stalden and Saint-Nicolas and between Täsch and Zermatt (Mattertal). About twenty other secondary roads remain prohibited for traffic.
The TCS recommends that the Romans wanting to go south of the Alps during the Easter weekend to borrow the Gothard tunnel.
In terms of rail traffic, the trains circulate again between Bern and Brig and between Haut-Valais and Bas-Valais, indicate Thursday evening the CFFs on X. And to add that the Euro City to Milan via the Simplon will be able to circulate from 7:00 am Friday according to the Italian railways. Shuttles already circulate between Brig and Iselle (I).
This article was published automatically. Source: ATS
