Snowfall The first snow paralyzed traffic in many places
Winter idyll in Biel on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Buses in Bern were temporarily unable to run on Thursday due to the snow.
Image: Keystone
A snow plow in action on Basel's local mountain St. Chrischona on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
The snow-covered park in front of the indoor riding arena in Riehen BS on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Asian tourists take photos of themselves in the snow in front of the Bundeshaus on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
With umbrellas in the snow: passers-by in Zurich on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Winter idyll in Biel on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Buses in Bern were temporarily unable to run on Thursday due to the snow.
Image: Keystone
A snow plow in action on Basel's local mountain St. Chrischona on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
The snow-covered park in front of the indoor riding arena in Riehen BS on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
Asian tourists take photos of themselves in the snow in front of the Bundeshaus on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
With umbrellas in the snow: passers-by in Zurich on Thursday.
Image: Keystone
The first snowfall down to the lowlands caused traffic disruptions on Thursday. Buses stopped running in Zurich, Bern and Basel. At the Gotthard, cars were temporarily unable to travel south. Flights and rail connections were also affected.
The Bernmobil transport company was forced to suspend bus services in the federal city on Thursday afternoon. Streetcar line 3 was also taken out of service. The other streetcar lines were running as well as possible, Bernmobil media spokesman Rolf Meyer told the Keystone-SDA news agency.
This meant that many commuters were forced to walk during rush hour. It happens occasionally in winter that the Bern buses have trouble on steeper sections during heavy snowfall and spin their wheels. On Thursday, bus services were temporarily suspended across the entire network. This was also for safety reasons.
Later in the evening, Zurich followed suit: due to slippery snow and ice, the Zurich transport company also suspended bus services in the city and the surrounding area. The streetcar lines are only running irregularly. Passengers departing or arriving near a city train station were advised to use the S-Bahn.
Later in the evening, the Basel transport company announced that it was suspending public transport services on buses and streetcars until the end of the day - for safety reasons. The weather conditions were "very precarious". Some points are icy or even frozen and can no longer be set. In addition, various gradients were no longer passable for buses. Several roads were also impassable due to blocked cars.
No getting through on the Gotthard
Snow-covered roads also caused disruption elsewhere. According to the TCS, the roads on the stretch between the Gotthard tunnel and Biasca TI were covered in snow in both directions. Driving conditions were difficult, it said. It was recommended to fit snow chains.
Shortly before 3 p.m., traffic on the A2 highway in the southbound direction had to be stopped due to the heavy snowfall and the snow removal work, as the Uri cantonal police wrote in a statement on Thursday evening. Traffic is now flowing again on the A2 southbound.
Due to the heavy snowfall, especially in the Uri Oberland, several reports of stuck vehicles have been received, according to the Uri cantonal police. The cantonal roads in Uri are passable. However, the section from Meien to Färnigen has been closed since 7 p.m. due to the risk of avalanches.
Flights and trains also affected
Rail traffic was also not spared from disruption. Commuters had to put up with train cancellations and delays of up to an hour, as an SBB spokesperson said at the request of Keystone-SDA. He expected the situation to calm down in the course of the evening.
Air traffic was also affected by the snowfall and fog. Numerous flights from Zurich Airport had to be canceled, especially earlier in the evening, according to information on the airport website. This affected Swiss as well as other airlines such as Air France and Finnair.
According to SRF Meteo, the snowfall is likely to continue. Further heavy snowfall is expected, particularly in north-western Switzerland, the central and eastern Swiss Plateau, the eastern foothills of the Alps, the western Alps and parts of Valais. Gale-force winds are also expected in the Jura, the western midlands and the Valais mountains. Above 1400 meters, wind gusts of up to 150 kilometers per hour are possible, the report continues.
St. Gallen often the earliest
The first measurable snow falls on average in the lowlands and in the deep Alpine valleys in the first half of December, according to a report by Meteonews on Thursday. In St. Gallen, on the other hand, it can snow on average as early as November 11 and in Chur on November 25. Geneva and Lugano, on the other hand, are rather later, with snow falling on average in the second half of December.
The earliest snowfall since measurements began was recorded in the canton of Lucerne. In 1936, it already snowed there on October 7.
SDA
