After a mostly dry few weeks, snow is back in Switzerland in force. Along with hurricane-force winds, around 40 centimetres of fresh snow fell on Monday night in the mountains, with more expected on Wednesday and Thursday.
The snow was accompanied by hurricane-force winds of up to 160 kilometres per hour in some areas, a consequence of Storm Nadia, which also wreaked havoc across northern Germany. The high winds have increased the risk of avalanches, with the Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research raising the danger level from four to five (great danger).
The heavy snow and strong winds have also affected public transport in Switzerland; the weather has caused all trains between Weissbad and Wasserauen to be cancelled, with services expected to be resumed from 7pm on Tuesday.
The winds also brought many gondolas and cable cars to a halt, with the line between Unterterzen and the ski resort of Flumserberg being suspended until further notice. Visitors to Andermatt will also be disappointed, as the excessive amounts of snow on the Oberalp pass makes rail services impossible, although a replacement bus service is available.
In the alpine region of Switzerland, the snow is expected to continue to fall until Thursday morning. Roger Perret from MeteoNews estimates that up to 1,5 metres of snow will fall in total, especially in Swiss ski resorts in central Switzerland.
The high winds and heavy snow are expected to continue until Thursday in high mountain areas. The snow line will remain at 500 to 700 metres until the end of Wednesday. Most Swiss cities will see their snow turn to rain by Wednesday evening, as temperatures rise and the wind drops.