Storm Benjamin caused strong winds, heavy rain, travel disruptions and damage as it crossed Switzerland on Thursday. In several locations, gusts exceeded 100 km/h. +Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox Strong winds over 100 km/h were recorded in western Switzerland and the central Plateau region, including 128 km/h in Le Bouveret (canton Valais), 125 km/h in Bière (canton Vaud) and 110 km/h in Nyon (canton Vaud), according to MeteoSwiss. They were even stronger in the mountains: 148 km/h at Mount Pilatus (canton Obwalden), 145 km/h at Les Diablerets (canton Vaud), 140 km/h at La Dôle (canton Vaud), 134 km/h at Moléson (canton Fribourg) and 131 km/h at Chasseral (canton Bern). The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology had warned that "strong to stormy" winds would sweep across the country. It had issued a level three warning (out of five) for north of the Alps. Many trees were knocked down by the winds and roads were cut. An electricity pylon supporting ...
