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Storms leave trail of destruction across Switzerland

The Local
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Storms leave trail of destruction across Switzerland
File photo: jacqueline2/Depositphotos"

Heavy rain, gale force winds, hail and lightening – Switzerland has experienced all these weather phenomena since Wednesday when a major storm front began moving across the country.

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The storm, which meteorologists say is the worst since Eleanor/Burglind struck in early January, flooded roads, underpasses and cellars and resulted in thousands of claims for damages.

In Zurich alone the cantonal buildings insurer had received 2,000 reports of damage by midday on Thursday amounting to an estimated 10 million francs, according to news reports.

While Zurich and eastern Switzerland took the brunt of the bad weather on Wednesday, by Thursday the storm had moved on to western, central and southern regions, wreaking destruction there.

Readers of the Blick newspaper from Solothurn in the northwest to St Gallen in the east shared photos of gardens and roads white with hail stones.

SFR Meteo reported that in Schöfflisdorf, Zurich the amount of hail that fell reached thigh height and excavators had to be deployed to clear the roads.

Lightening also struck across Switzerland, with tens of thousands of flashes registered, weather services reported. 

Fire and rescue services have been in big demand and were called out 61 times in the canton of Zurich on Thursday night.

Friday marks the meteorilogical start of spring and more settled weather is forecast for the weekend, with temperatures reaching up to 27 degrees SRF Meteo said.

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