The cantons of Geneva and Vaud are cancelling all permits for events planned on public property from 2pm on Saturday. The reason is the weather warning predicting a violent storm from late afternoon. A series of events are also cancelled in the canton of Neuchâtel, where decisions are taken at the municipal level.
Geneva announced the cancellation on Saturday morning via the Department of Institutions and Digital Affairs (DIN), which stressed that storm gusts of 100 km/h, large hailstones, lightning strikes and heavy downpours “are highly probable”.
“The security of the various events cannot be guaranteed and the gatherings will pose a danger to all those participating in them,” the DIN wrote in its press release.
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Pas de fanzones
The cancellation concerns in particular the Plainpalais fanzone, where some 15,000 spectators were expected to follow the Switzerland-Italy Euro match at 6 p.m.
The manager of the fanzone, Frédéric Hohl, regrets this cancellation for the traders “who count on it to make their turnover”, but he understands this decision. The rain would have compromised the arrival of spectators in any case.
“When we work in an outdoor event, with rain, there is no one and with sun, there are a lot of people,” he summarizes in the 12:30 p.m. of the RTS. “So, indeed, it’s a loss of income for all traders, but it’s a bit like the rules of the game.”
>> Also listen to the details from 12:30 p.m.:
The canton of Vaud announced that it was taking similar measures on Saturday afternoon. Since Friday morning, the Cantonal Control Staff (EMCC) has met regularly with all partners, including MeteoSwiss specialists, to monitor the situation.
Based on an assessment of the situation, the canton has decided to revoke all permits for outdoor events from Saturday at 2 p.m. to Sunday at 8 a.m. The Lausanne-Ouchy fanzone will therefore also be closed.
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Decisions taken at municipal level in Neuchâtel
A whole series of events are also canceled in the canton of Neuchâtel. Decisions were made at the municipal level.
The Municipal Council of the City of Le Locle has decided to cancel all events in the territory of Le Locle and Les Brenets from 4:00 p.m. this Saturday. This particularly concerns the Fête de l’urbanisme horloger on the forecourt of the Town Hall in Le Locle and the fan zone in Les Brenets for the Eurofoot Switzerland-Italy match.
In Val-de-Travers, the first day of the Fleurier Abbey, a local institution, was cancelled.
In the lower canton, the municipal authorities of Neuchâtel have decided to cancel the youth festival planned for this Saturday in Peseux. Beyond that, the weather alerts should disrupt the holding of several fan zones planning to welcome the public for the 6 p.m. meeting between Switzerland and Italy.
And elsewhere
In Valais, the cantonal management body has also issued several warnings. It notes that the bad weather risks causing “overflows and torrential lava along the lateral watercourses.”
Concerning the Rhone, the flood danger is marked (level 3) from the mouth of the Saltina to Lake Geneva. The canton insists on not approaching waterways, not parking on bridges, limiting travel or even refraining from filming or photographing events.
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In Bienne, the Braderie is in full swing this weekend, with 100,000 people gathered in the streets of the Icelandic city. Organizers have already asked exhibitors to tie down tents and stands securely on Friday evening, as hail hit the event early in the evening. For Saturday evening, those responsible are in contact with the city authorities, the police and MeteoSwiss and will decide on possible measures to be taken.
Severe thunderstorm warnings have also been published on Alertswiss for the cantons of Neuchâtel, Jura, Ticino, Aargau, Basel-Landschaft and Basel-Stadt. In the canton of Fribourg, MétéoSuisse announces a level three alert.
In eastern Switzerland, hiking and cycling paths along the Rhine have been closed in view of the expected rise in water levels. It is not recommended to approach the river.
“Explosive cocktail”
On Friday, MétéoSwiss warned that an “explosive meteorological cocktail” was being prepared for late Saturday afternoon, mainly in French-speaking Switzerland. Violent thunderstorms threaten, conducive – given their possible supercellular structure – to strong gusts of wind and hail.
>> Read also: An “explosive meteorological cocktail” expected on Saturday in French-speaking Switzerland, MétéoSwiss alert
The arrival of warm and very humid air in Switzerland with values of up to 21 degrees at around 1500m, coupled with daytime warming during the afternoon, will cause strong instability, forecasters emphasize.
ats/edel
