Switzerland battered by heavy rains and floods

Torrential rain, thunderstorms and flash floods have inundated towns and villages, especially in parts of northwest, central and easte Switzerland in recent days.

Heavy rain over the past few days has caused damage to homes and infrastructure in cantons Solothu, Aargau and Basel-Country, with numerous cellars and roads flooded. The police and fire services were called out 400 times in Aargau alone, and in several areas civil protection volunteers were out in force. In the town of Stetten 60 millimetres of rain fell in three hours.

Rail services were affected between Lenzburg and Othmarsingen on the Zurich-Aargau line. In Oftringen a ba was set ablaze after being struck by lightning but no one was injured. On Wednesday afteoon the A1 motorway was flooded near Lenzburg causing tailbacks for over an hour.

In cantons Basel Country and Basel City in northwest Switzerland the police and fire services received 400 calls for help as streams and rivers overflowed. Several local roads were inundated, as well as the A2 and A3 motorways near Pratteln, Liestal and Augst.

The Solothu police received 110 calls for help, mostly due to flooded cellars and small landslides.

In central Switzerland the region between Be and Chiètres in canton Fribourg was badly hit by torrential rain. Trains on the Be-Neuchâtel and Be Brüen Westside and Chiètres were delayed.

In Zurich and Fribourg 58 millimetres of rain fell in 12 hours.

French-speaking Switzerland has generally escaped the heavy rains and flooding. The MeteoSwiss weather service was, however, that the entire Jura region could witness violent storms and floods similar to those on Tuesday, which caused power shortages in canton Basel Country and the closure of the Transjurane (A16) motorway.

A violent storm hit Geneva on Wednesday afteoon causing a large tree to fall across the 12 tram line, delaying traffic. No injuries were reported.

The map below shows detailed flood alert information across Switzerland. Zoom in to find out more.

After days of continual rain, the MeteoNews weather service was of a high risk of floods and landslides in the central and easte alpine region. Heavy rain is expected to continue in the German-speaking regions and may cause local damage on Thursday, MeteoNews said in a statement on Wednesday.

Around 50mm of rain, and up to 80mm in some areas, is expected across the central and easte central alpine region. The levels of streams and rivers such as the Aare, Thur, Emme, Petite Emme and Sihl are expected to rise until Friday.

Were you affected by the storms and flooding? Tell us about your experience.

swissinfo.ch