Heavy rainfall triggers weather warnings across parts of Switzerland

MeteoSwiss has issued a level two weather warning on Wednesday, October 21, as parts of Switzerland are set to be hit with heavy rainfall.

Caution advised near lakes, rivers and slopes

Wednesday is already off to a wet start across much of Switzerland, with a level two out of five danger warning now in place in the southeast. Areas affected include Lake Brienz, St. Gallen, Graubünden and Ticino. Visit the MeteoSwiss website for a map of the impacted areas.

The yellow weather warning from the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology means that "bodies of water may rise rapidly where the ground is already saturated." The government recommends keeping away from areas of water, such as rivers, lakes and reservoirs, and avoiding steep slopes.

The warning has been in place since 6.00am on Wednesday morning and is so far set to last until 3am on Thursday. The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) has reported no disruption to public transport so far.

Western Ticino, including Locarno and Bellinzona, will see the most rainfall, with between 70 and 120 millimetres expected, according to Blick.

Rain will continue across other parts of Switzerland for the rest of the day, including Geneva, Lausanne, Basel, Bern and Zurich. Temperatures will sit between 7 and 13 degrees celsius.

Brief sunny break before a soggy weekend

From Thursday, the sun will reappear between intermittent clouds and the temperature will reach highs of 15 degrees.

Unfortunately, the sunny spells will be short-lived, as the rain will largely return heading into the weekend. Spectators heading out this Sunday to watch the Lausanne or Lucerne marathons may want to pack an umbrella, while anyone planning an autumnal hike or visit to a local pumpkin patch may want to find something more cosy to do!