Winds of up to 138km / h battered Switzerland overnight after Storm Hendrik hit Swiss cities, leading to downed power lines, delays on public transport and damage reported in all 26 cantons.

Storm Hendrik led to strong winds and heavy rain in Western Europe

According to Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, Storm Hendrik struck Switzerland between 7.30pm on Wednesday and 7.30am on Thursday, after passing through France, Germany and the Netherlands. The weather in Switzerland was reported to be tempestuous, with hurricane-force winds beating down over the mountains. 

Moléson in Canton Fribourg recorded the strongest wind of 138km / h, the same strength of wind recorded during a category one hurricane. The police in the city of Bern reported 40 call-outs overnight related to the storm, mainly to deal with powerlines, fallen trees and flowerboxes. Canton Zurich had over a dozen call outs on the same night, and some residents in the German city of Frankfurt even reported being woken up by the ferocity of the storm.

Storm Hendrik causes damage to Swiss public transport

Along with the strong winds, the storm also saw increased snowfall in the mountains, leading to some trains being delayed due to the shock change in conditions and large amounts of debris. Swiss Federal Railways reported some lines continue to be delayed but the service has resumed on most routes.

The most significant damage was in Canton Bern, where the storm broke power lines to public transport, closing the route between Solothurn and Burgdorf entirely. Debris has also fallen on the roads, causing multiple accidents on Swiss motorways, with drivers swerving to avoid fallen trees and branches.

MeteoSwiss predicts the current windy conditions will continue on Thursday through to Friday morning, as the last of the storm leaves Switzerland and moves towards Czechia, Austria and Slovenia.