Since 1972, we have been systematically recording the damage caused by storms on behalf of the federal government on the basis of media reports. This has resulted in a database with currently more than 28,000 entries. This data helps in hazard assessment.
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Damage originating from naturally triggered floods, debris flows, landslides and rockfalls is included in the database that is financed by the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN. The corresponding weather conditions are also noted in the database. Not considered is damage from avalanches, snow pressure, earthquake, lithening, hail, windstorm and drought. In this way, a database with currently more than 27'000 entries has been generated.
The total inflation-adjusted loss amount since 1972 is over CHF 15 billion CHF. The figure below shows that these costs are dominated by a few major events. The event of the 21th/22th of August 2005, with damage amounting to nearly 3'000 million CHF in total, is the most costly flood in Switzerland that's recorded in the database.
The spatial distribution of the damage from 1972 to 2023 and during some large events can be viewed on an interactive map.
The database can be analysed in terms of location, extent, causes and the temporal and spatial distribution of the storm events. The results are published yearly in the Journal "Wasser Energie Luft".
The damage data are provided to official institutions on request as a broad information basis for hazard assessment.
Contact ¶
Publications ¶
Liechti K., Badoux A. (2024) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz 2023. Hochwasser, Murgänge, Rutschungen und Sturzprozesse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 116(1), 5-13. Institutional Repository DORA
Liechti K., Badoux A., Lustenberger F. (2023) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz 2022. Hochwasser, Murgänge, Rutschungen und Sturzprozesse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 115(2), 71-79. Institutional Repository DORA
Liechti K., Badoux A., Röthlisberger G., Loat R., Bezzola G.R. (2022) 50 Jahre Erfassung von Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz. Wasser Energ. Luft. 114(4), 247-248. Institutional Repository DORA
Liechti K., Matter D., Lustenberger F., Badoux A. (2022) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz 2021. Hochwasser, Murgänge, Rutschungen und Sturzprozesse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 114(2), 85-93. Institutional Repository DORA
Liechti K., Badoux A. (2021) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz 2020. Hochwasser, Murgänge, Rutschungen und Sturzprozesse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 113(2), 79-86. Institutional Repository DORA
Liechti K., Badoux A., Andres N. (2020) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz 2019. Rutschungen, Murgänge, Hochwasser und Sturzereignisse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 112(2), 85-92. Institutional Repository DORA
Andres N., Badoux A. (2019) Normalisierung und Trends der Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz (1972–2016). Wasser Energ. Luft. 111(1), 39-43. Institutional Repository DORA
Andres N., Badoux A. (2019) The Swiss flood and landslide damage database: normalisation and trends. J. Flood Risk Manag. 12(S1), e12510 (12 pp.). https://doi.org/10.1111/jfr3.12510Institutional Repository DORA
Andres N., Badoux A. (2019) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz im Jahre 2018. Rutschungen, Murgänge, Hochwasser und Sturzereignisse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 111(1), 29-38. Institutional Repository DORA
Andres N., Badoux A. (2018) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz im Jahre 2017. Rutschungen, Murgänge, Hochwasser und Sturzereignisse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 110(1), 67-74. Institutional Repository DORA
Gerber W., Andres N., Badoux A. (2017) Bergstürze, Steinschläge und andere Sturzereignisse in der Schweiz in den Jahren 2002 bis 2016. Schweiz. Z. Forstwes. 168(6), 329-332. https://doi.org/10.3188/szf.2017.0329 Institutional Repository DORA
Andres N., Badoux A., Techel F., Hegg C. (2017) Todesfälle durch Naturgefahrenprozesse in der Schweiz von 1946 bis 2015. Wasser Energ. Luft. 109(2), 105-110. Institutional Repository DORA
Andres N., Badoux A. (2017) Unwetterschäden in der Schweiz im Jahre 2016. Rutschungen, Murgänge, Hochwasser und Sturzereignisse. Wasser Energ. Luft. 109(2), 97-104. Institutional Repository DORA
Badoux A., Andres N., Techel F., Hegg C. (2016) Natural hazard fatalities in Switzerland from 1946 to 2015. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 16(12), 2747-2768. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-16-2747-2016 Institutional Repository DORA
Hilker N., Badoux A., Hegg C. (2009) The Swiss flood and landslide damage database 1972-2007. Nat. Hazards Earth Syst. Sci. 9(3), 913-925. https://doi.org/10.5194/nhess-9-913-2009 Institutional Repository DORA