Southwestern Switzerland Battles Aftermath of Sudden Storms

Clean-up crews and business owners assess the damage after sudden storms hit southwestern Switzerland, causing severe flooding and halting Geneva's airport operations. No injuries were reported, but record-breaking water flows and significant rainfall disrupted the region.

Clean-up crews and business owners were out in force Wednesday, evaluating the damage left in the wake of sudden storms that pummeled southwestern Switzerland the night before. Torrential rain sent torrents of water streaming through roads and temporarily suspended operations at Geneva's airport.

In the lakeside town of Morges, a creek's overflow turned downtown streets into rivers of tan-colored floodwater. Although no injuries were reported, water flows surged to 43 cubic meters per second, shattering a century-old record.

Ignace Jeannerat, a spokesperson for Geneva's airport, noted that violent storms and lightning strikes led to the cancelation of over 50 flights late Tuesday and the diversion of a dozen more to other airports. The airport faced further complications when its operations temporarily shut down due to flooded basements causing a cooling system failure.

Olivier Duding, a meteorologist at MeteoSuisse, highlighted that the nearby French border town of Auberson experienced nearly 113 millimeters of rain in just two hours, marking the third-highest precipitation recorded in Switzerland since 1981.