Here is the weather in French-speaking Switzerland this Saturday for Switzerland-Italy

Thunderstorms, hail, rain… A particularly explosive cocktail is expected on Saturday in Switzerland, right on time for the Euro match between the Nati and Italy. Will we still be able to watch this round of 16 match outside, in a fan zone? We take stock with a meteorologist.

Were you planning on eating sausages and drinking warm beers in a fan zone in Ouchy or Plainpalais to cheer on the Nati against Italy on Saturday at 6pm? You might have to find a plan B. As for the sky, we’re being told it’s 12 to zero. A failed sports metaphor to say “it’s going to blow up and it’s going to be intense”.

According to Vincent Devantay, meteorologist at MeteoNews, we are entitled to very high indices, “rarely achieved, at least on paper”.

A violence that has not been observed for a very long time in Switzerland. “We will have storms with indices that rise to 3000 J/kg, locally 4000 (editor’s note: the energy available in the atmosphere, in kilojoules). Usually, the values ​​are 2 to 3 times lower during stormy episodes,” the forecaster emphasizes.

And there’s no need to try the hypothetical fan zone of an obscure remote village in Val-de-Travers, the whole of French-speaking Switzerland will receive its share. “The Lake Geneva basin, the Plateau, the Jura are the regions which are likely to be most impacted…” continues the forecaster. Should we expect floods comparable to what Morges experienced a few days ago?

But to clarify that in places, 20 to 40 millimeters are still expected, “which is enough to cause damage.” Enough to spoil the party?

Of the gustshail, dust from the Sahara

Maybe so. In any case, the weather forecast for Saturday has a strong chance of eclipsing the match predictions. Yann Sommer, who? Because the storms and rains will also be accompanied by hail, with locally quite significant falls.

We will therefore remember to tie up your barbecue and put away your garden furniture. “We are expecting gusts of more than 100km/h, even 120 locally,” specifies the meteorologist.

And to top it all off, the dust from the Sahara will also be there.

THE fan zones will they be open?

Elsewhere in Switzerland, such as in the Conches Valley in Valais, the damage could be significant. “The zero degree limit will be at 4,200-4,440 metres, so if we combine the melting snow with storms, the watercourses could react. The situation there will be critical between Saturday evening and Sunday morning.”

The risk of hail is also present everywhere in Switzerland, but especially in French-speaking Switzerland. “People tend to panic when they see a storm and hail coming, especially if you are in a fan zone. We take this opportunity to remind people not to stand under a tree…”

Vincent Devantay also emphasizes that situations with very high risks have already been observed, with ultimately less violent weather than expected.

Note that if MeteoSwiss classifies Saturday’s storms as degree 4, the highest level of the Confederation scale, the events are likely to be canceled. Including the broadcast of matches in fan zones. At midday Friday, the office predicted a level 3 and 4 alert.

And our meteorologist clarified that this is a pre-alert. “It may be confirmed tomorrow morning, but it is not yet an official alert.”

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