Storm Mathis brings strong westerly storm
Today, a storm called Mathis moved from England to the North Sea. Switzerland came to the southern edge of this low today, where – as is usually the case with storms – the winds are strongest. So strong gusts of wind could be expected today. The wind actually picked up in the morning and reached storm force by mid-morning. The storm reached its peak in the afternoon. In the lowlands of German-speaking Switzerland, gusts of 70 to 100 km/h were recorded, locally also 110-120 km/h. In connection with a thunderstorm, Koppigen even recorded 136 km/h in the evening, which can be described as exceptional. This significantly exceeded the previous record of 119 km/h from June 23, 2022. However, there were already similarly violent or even more violent westerly storms on the north side of the Alps in March, at least in terms of extent.
Not only stormy westerly winds, but also showers and thunderstorms could be observed in the Mittelland today. A thunderstorm cell strengthened the westerly wind in Koppigen (BE), where a gust of 136 km/h occurred. Photo: Andi Hostettler, Zurich-Kloten Airport.
Not only stormy westerly winds, but also showers and thunderstorms could be observed in the Mittelland today. A thunderstorm cell strengthened the westerly wind in Koppigen (BE), where a gust of 136 km/h occurred. Photo: Andi Hostettler, Zurich-Kloten Airport. (MeteoSwiss)
Vivian set new standards in
The storms of spring 1967 were the strongest westerly storms of the 20th century until February 1990. On February 27, 1990, Storm Vivian set new standards. This catastrophic storm was particularly bad on the northern slopes of the Alps and partly in the inner Alps. Even at lower altitudes, local wind speeds of 160 to 190 km/h were recorded, for example in Glarus with 169 km/h and in Fey in Lower Valais with 191 km/h. On the Grand St. Bernard Pass, wind speeds of as much as 268 km/h were recorded. This is still considered to be the highest gust in Switzerland today. Whole mountain forests were razed to the ground within minutes, especially around Disentis and in the Glarus region. A total of 5.1 million cubic metres of forest fell victim to the storm throughout panama phone number library Switzerland, the largest amount up to that point.
The storm Lothar of December 26, 1999, hit mainly the lowlands and the western foothills of the Alps. It even brought down 14 million cubic meters of wood. Gusts reached values of 150 to 180 km/h in some places, even in the lowlands, with Delémont at 170 km/h and Brienz at 181 km/h.
Representation of the forests that were completely destroyed by the storm Vivian on February 27, 1990. The areas affected included the Haslital, the Urner Reussstal, the
Glarnerland and in Graubünden the Surselva and Prättigau valleys
Representation of the forests that were completely destroyed by Storm
Vivian on February 27, 1990. The areas affected included the Haslital, the amp pages can still look pretty good Urner Reussstal, the Glarnerland and the Surselva and Prättigau valleys in Graubünden. (BAFU)
Representation of the forests that suffered total damage during Storm aero leads Lothar on December 26, 1999. The Central Plateau and the western and central foothills of the Alps were badly hit. In contrast to Vivian, the inner-Alpine regions were hardly affected.
Illustration of the forests that suffered total damage during Storm Lothar on December 26, 1999. The Central Plateau and the western and central foothills of the Alps were badly hit. In contrast to Vivian, the inner-Alpine regions were hardly affected. (BAFU)
Western storms of the strength of Vivian and Lothar occur on average about once per century
Fortunately, storms as severe as Vivian and Lothar are very rare. In earlier centuries, the storm of January 29, 1645 and January 16, 1739 are worth mentioning. In these storms, entire barns are said to have been blown away and church towers were destroyed.