The arrival of snow in the plains disrupted traffic in French-speaking Switzerland – rts.ch

The snow fell down to low altitudes, especially in Valais and in the north of the Jura Arc, and quantities of ten to twenty centimeters of snow were noted, or even more in Ajoie, where an alert level of level 4 was reached. been issued.

According to MeteoSwiss, up to 20 to 40 centimeters were expected above 1800 meters.

Accidents and traffic jams

As a result, traffic was severely disrupted in places, notably in the Lausanne region, on the A12 between Vevey and Châtel-St-Denis, on the A1 between Lausanne and Geneva or even on the lake road between Vevey and the capital. Lausanne. Accidents and road trips were reported, most of them minor, and traffic jams formed in places.

The snow thus caused an accident involving seven to eight vehicles on Wednesday evening on the A12, between Vevey (VD) and Châtel-St-Denis (FR), causing one minor injury. Traffic was able to resume on the highway around 1:30 a.m. during the night from Wednesday to Thursday.

These snowfalls also caused problems on the A2 motorway between Amsteg (UR) and the Gotthard tunnel. According to the TCS, a truck crossing the road caused the closure of the Gotthard motorway. The roads are covered with snow in both directions on the section between the Gotthard tunnel and Biasca (TI). Chains are recommended due to difficult driving conditions.

In Bern, the snowfall that fell in the afternoon surprised residents and many streets were blocked. A truck ended up across the road near the station, Keystone-ATS noted. As in Zurich, the capital’s buses were at a standstill.

CFF also affected

The rail network was also affected due to switches temporarily blocked by snow and cold.

In the Yverdon region (VD), a problem on the contact line following bad weather caused train cancellations and delays from mid-afternoon, said a CFF spokesperson. In Broye (FR) and on the line at the foot of the Jura also, rail traffic was disrupted.

Across the country, CFF users had to reckon with delays of up to an hour and train cancellations in places, according to the spokesperson. The situation was expected to stabilize during the evening with the decrease in precipitation.

Air traffic disrupted

Snowfall also disrupted air traffic. If the snow did not cover the tarmac at Geneva airport, flights departing from and arriving in the city of Calvin were canceled due to problems in other European cities, notably in Paris, a indicated a spokesperson for Geneva airport.

Some passengers traveling from Zurich also faced flight cancellations.

Stormy winds

Stormy winds are also expected in the Jura, on the west of the Plateau and in the Valais mountains. Above 1400 meters, gusts of up to 150 km/h are possible.

Snowfall is expected to continue on Friday, with another 5 to 15 centimeters above 800 meters. In the plains, the weather will be changeable with also a little snow, then possible rain.

A warm spell from the weekend

“The quantities that were expected in the north of the Jura are relatively rare at this period,” explained Mikhaël Schwander, meteorologist at MétéoSuisse, on 12:30 p.m. “Especially this early in the winter, it’s not common,” he adds.

A mild spell is then expected from Sunday. “A southwesterly wind current will establish itself in Switzerland and lead to a rise in temperatures,” adds Mikhaël Schwander. For example, in Fahy (JU), it could be up to 17 degrees on Monday, while we expect more than twenty centimeters this Thursday.

This snow episode is certainly early, but the days of fresh snow and the cumulative height over the entire winter have been decreasing significantly in the plains for decades, recalls the meteorologist.

ostolu/boi with ats