Water: Extreme events

The FOEN monitors current floods and low-flow situations, analyses them and informs the public.

Drought: monitoring, forecasting and warning

Droughts are increasing in Switzerland due to climate change. Droughts can be a challenge for agriculture, energy supply, ecosystems and other areas. This is where the project 'Development and expansion of an early detection and warning system for drought' comes in. Starting in 2025, the federal government will provide a new drought platform with information for early detection (monitoring and forecasting) and warnings for all of Switzerland.

Low water

Information about low flow statistics and low water events.

Flooding

Information about flood statistics and process-based flood assessments.

Hydrological forecasts and warnings

The forecasts are produced by analysing the current status and trend of water levels and discharges in various water bodies and on the basis of models in such a way that early warnings, particularly flood alerts, can be given to the authorities and the population.

Reviews of extreme events

The FOEN analyses extreme events and publishes reports, e.g. after the floods in 1999 or 2005 or the drought in summer 2003 or 2018. In the case of major events, an initial review of the event from a hydrological point of view is published on the Internet as quickly as possible. Detailed event analyses with information on the causes and consequences require more time and are published later as FOEN publications.

BAFU-Webdossiers zu Hochwasser-Ereignissen

BAFU-Webdossiers zu Niedrigwasser-Ereignissen

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Last modification 18.03.2025

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