On Saturday, the federal authorities declared a significant risk of heavy snowfall across large parts of the Alps. For parts of Ticino, southern Switzerland, the hazard level was raised to 4, or high. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox According to the government’s natural hazards assessment, this means that disruptions and an increased risk of accidents are to be expected in air and rail transport. This is due, for example, to snow drifts. Branches may also snap under the weight of the snow, or trees may topple. Hazard level 3 (“significant”) means, among other things, that road conditions may deteriorate significantly. Above 1,400 metres, five to 15 centimetres of fresh snow fell in Ticino and the Simplon region, according to the natural hazards bulletin issued by the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) on Saturday. In most other regions, snowfall was still light by Saturday afternoon. During the most intense phase, the snow line ...
