Highest weather warning issued for Southern Switzerland ahead of heavy rains; Swiss army and equipment are heading for Austria; and more news in our Wednesday roundup.
Government issues the highest weather warning level for southern cantons
Easter is usually associated with warm and sunny weather in the popular destinations like Ticino.
But not this year.
The Federal Office for Meteorology (MeteoSchweiz) has issued the highest, level-5 weather warning, for both Ticino and parts of Southern Valais.
In Ticino, between 100 and 150 millimetres of rain will fall across the cantons, though this precipitation will be even heavier in certain regions.
MeteoSchweiz
For instance, in the Centovalli, Locarnese, Maggia and Verzasca valleys, as well as in Bedretto, as much as 150 to 250 millimetres are expected.
MeteoSchweiz has also issued the warning level 5 for the Upper Saas Valley and the Simplon region, warning, of “extreme rises in the water levels of rivers and lakes,” and the possibility of flooding.
And in Southern Valais, the snow line will drop to 1,000 metres, significantly increasing the risk of avalanches.
Swiss troops and tanks are heading to Austria — wait, what?
A thousand Swiss infantry soldiers, along with their battle tanks and several tons of military equipment are being transported by rail to Austria.
This convoy may be an unusual, and scare, sight in neutral Switzerland, but there is no cause to worry.
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Fewer Swiss want to travel to ‘Trump’s’ America
At least that is what emerges from a new large-scale survey carried out by Tamedia media group among 35,132 Swiss residents,
Among the latter group, 40 percent those between 18 and 34 years of age are more inclined to travel to the United States, while only 8 percent of those aged 65 and up would do so.
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Switzerland seen as the best country for married couples
That is the finding of a recent World Happiness Report carried out by an Australian company, Compare the Market, which based the survey on factors such as marriage and divorce rates, as well as life expectancy in each of the 30 nations studied.
It found that Switzerland is “best overall” for married people.
“The life expectancy of Swiss couples is the highest in Europe at 83.5 years, and the country ranks sixth in the world for happiness levels,” the study reported.
“It also ranks in the top 10 European countries for rate of marriages. All these strong scores across multiple categories even out to make Switzerland the best all-rounder country for happy couples.”
Not much actual science was involved in the research, but it is good to know nevertheless.
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