Federal government updates natural hazard portal
The federal natural hazard portal has been informing the public about the current natural hazard situation in Switzerland at www.naturgefahren.ch since 2014. Warnings and additional information on natural hazards are also published there. To ensure that the portal continues to meet the needs of users in the future, the federal natural hazards offices have revised it. The updated version has been available since November 20, 2025.
The federal government uses various channels to warn the population of natural hazards. One of these is the natural hazard portal, which has been available in the national languages and English for over ten years. The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwiss is responsible for operating the natural hazard portal. Under the leadership of MeteoSwiss, the other federal natural hazard offices, i.e. the Federal Office for the Environment FOEN, the WSL Institute for Snow and Avalanche Research SLF and the Swiss Seismological Service SED at ETH Zurich, have updated the portal as of November 20, 2025.
The portal is accessible via www.naturgefahren.ch and provides a quick overview of the current natural hazard situation in Switzerland. The current warnings and reports for currently twelve different natural hazards such as floods, avalanches, rain and heat waves are color-coded on a map. In addition, there are individual warning maps for each natural hazard, each based on the same principle. In particularly critical situations, the specialist offices also publish natural hazard bulletins with more in-depth technical information and expert assessments of the natural hazard situation.
Warnings as a basis for risk-adapted behavior
Timely warnings allow the population to prepare themselves and take protective measures. In this way, potential damage can be avoided or at least minimized. To do this, it is crucial to know the risks of natural hazards and to act correctly in an emergency. Behavioral recommendations based on the hazard levels therefore supplement the warnings on the natural hazard portal.
The cantonal and communal authorities also use warnings to plan or initiate specific measures and issue instructions to the local population if necessary. A common understanding of the dangers and coordinated cooperation between the authorities and the population are crucial to ensure that warning procedures function smoothly.
Focus on user-friendliness
The further development of the natural hazard portal is an important step towards meeting the requirements of users in the future. It offers an improved user experience: warnings and messages as well as information on hazard levels and recommended behavior are more clearly laid out and easy to find. The next step will be to provide key content in plain language and information in sign language as well as further content adjustments
Information and warnings on natural hazards
As part of the mandate to optimize warning and alerting in the area of natural hazards (OWARNA), the federal natural hazard agencies jointly developed the natural hazard portal on behalf of the Federal Council and launched it in 2014.
Warnings and information on natural hazards will continue to be published on the websites of the relevant natural hazard authority. As before, detailed background information is also available there, for example on measured values, scientific correlations or warnings for special user groups such as farmers, canoeists, sailors or ski tourers. The federal government's natural hazard portal, on the other hand, is aimed at the general public
Source: Federal Office for the Environment
