Winterthur Fire Chief on Hailstorm: 'I've Never Experienced Anything Like It'

A powerful hailstorm struck the canton of Zurich on Friday, leaving a trail of destruction and millions in damages. The storm, characterized by golf ball-sized hailstones, battered neighborhoods, causing extensive damage to roofs, windows, facades, and vehicles. Trees were uprooted, and power lines were affected, leading to outages.

In the Winterthur area alone, approximately sixty people, including many children, sustained injuries and required hospitalization. The cantonal building insurance expects around 2,000 damage reports due to the widespread impact. Preliminary estimates place the total cost of the damage at approximately 30 million Swiss francs.

Marco Scheuring, the commander of the Winterthur fire department, described the event as unprecedented in his 24-year career. "This hailstorm came down almost without warning. And the size of the hailstones and the energy with which they raged – I have never experienced anything like it," Scheuring stated. He noted that the storm was unusual also because there was hardly any rain accompanying the hail.

Scheuring recounted how alarms sounded simultaneously from two locations, including a retirement home. Arriving at the scene, he witnessed the severity of the storm firsthand. The hail was so intense that it triggered a fire alarm's manual call point. The combination of suddenness, hail size, and minimal rain made this a particularly remarkable and challenging event for the emergency services.

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This hailstorm came down almost without warning. And the size of the hailstones and the energy with which they raged – I have never experienced anything like it.