Weather report

Not much snow in Morges
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Snowstorms usher in Swiss spring

Snow returned to Switzerland after a long period of warm
weather (Keystone)


A blanket of snow welcomed spring on
Wednesday, with forecasters expecting the weather to worsen before there is any
improvement.
The situation caused problems on Swiss roads, with a number of
people injured in collisions.

Up to 90 centimetres of snow has
fallen in the pre-Alps since Sunday.Forecasters say that the country will have
to wait until early next week to see warmer spring weather, as more snow is on
its way.The snowfall around the country made driving conditions precarious with
around 100 weather-related accidents reported as temperatures dropped to just
above freezing.Police said at least seven people were injured in road accidents
in St Gallen, where 40 centimetres of snow fell, Zurich and Bern.Many cars were
also a danger because motorists had already changed from winter to summer
tyres.A number of flights were delayed at Zurich Airport as planes had to be
de-iced before taking off.

More snow

The weather
situation is expected to worsen in the north on Thursday, according to Urs
Keller from MeteoSwiss, the national weather service."We are expecting between
15 and 25 centimetres of snow," he said. Temperatures at 2,000 metres altitude
are expected to drop to minus ten degrees.The weather situation should improve
by Friday, with temperatures at the weekend hovering between six and eight
degrees.In the south of the country, Thursday and Friday should be overcast but
rain is expected at the weekend. Temperatures are expected to climb to around 12
degrees Celsius.

Warm winter

Switzerland has
experienced one of the warmest winters ever, with average temperatures of
between three and four degrees Celsius.And forecasters believe that spring and
summer will bring record temperatures.The warmer winter temperatures across many
parts of Europe have resulted in flowers blooming early and animals' biological
clocks being disrupted.

From: swissinfo with agencies