Europe is facing weather chaos. Violent storms and flash floods in Spain and France have caused widespread damage and casualties. At the same time, Switzerland is expecting heavy snow and dangerous conditions in its mountains.
Obergesteln, in the canton of Valais, woke up on Monday to a thick layer of snow. Meteorologists are predicting up to one meter of snow this week, while strong winds are increasing the risk of avalanches in Valais, the northern slopes of the Alps and in Graubünden.
“This week will be stormy until Thursday,” says Klaus Marquardt of Meteo News. “Maybe the sun will show up for a while, but mainly there will be storms and heavy snowfall in the mountains.”
A first incident was recorded on Monday morning: a train in Goppenstein derailed due to an avalanche, and rescue teams are expecting several injured.
However, for ski resorts, the snowfall is a blessing after an unusually dry January, enabling better conditions for the slopes and a longer season, especially in the western and central Alps.
The cause of this extreme weather is new storm systems that form over the Atlantic and then move towards Europe, bringing the storms, floods and heavy snow that the continent is experiencing./Albinfo.ch
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