Italy and Spain are on high alert this Sunday as severe thunderstorms and gale-force winds disrupt the region, while Switzerland prepares for a sudden return of winter with significant snowfall forecasted across the Alps.
Italy Storm Alerts
Orange-level warnings for severe thunderstorms have been issued for Liguria and Lombardy as a weather front moves across the country.
Spanish Wind Warnings
Catalonia and Figueres face orange alerts for high winds and coastal phenomena, with emergency mobile alerts sent to residents in the Pyrenees.
Swiss Winter Return
Switzerland expects a sharp transition from spring-like conditions to heavy snowfall across most of the country.
Severe weather alerts are set to affect large parts of southern Europe and Switzerland on Sunday, March 15, 2026, with orange-level warnings issued for thunderstorms and high winds across parts of Italy and Spain, and heavy snowfall forecast for Switzerland.
In Italy, the weather alert for thunderstorms in central and western Liguria has been upgraded to orange level, according to ANSA. The neighboring region of Lombardy is also under an orange weather alert for Sunday, as reported by Adnkronos. Orange alerts in Italy's system indicate significant risk of disruption and potential danger to people and infrastructure. Both regions are expected to face deteriorating conditions throughout the day. The Protezione Civile monitors and coordinates responses to such alerts across the country.
In Spain, the town of Figueres is under an orange alert for high winds and coastal phenomena, according to El Confidencial. Spain's Protección Civil sent mobile phone alerts directly to residents in the comarcas of the Catalan Pyrenees warning of strong winds expected on Sunday, as reported by El País. Yellow alerts for wind have been issued for Teruel and Castellón de la Plana, according to El Confidencial. The province of Soria is under a yellow alert for snowfall. The alerts span a broad arc of northeastern and central Spain, reflecting a wide-reaching weather system moving across the Iberian Peninsula.
Switzerland is bracing for a brief return of winter conditions, with heavy snowfall forecast for Sunday, according to SRF News. The Swiss forecast describes the event as a short-lived but significant wintry episode. Severe weather events in the western Mediterranean basin typically intensify in late winter and early spring as cold polar air masses collide with warmer air over the sea, generating rapid storm development. The Ligurian coast and the Catalan Pyrenees are among the most frequently affected areas in Europe during such transitional weather patterns, given their exposure to both Atlantic and Mediterranean systems. Switzerland's alpine geography makes it particularly susceptible to sudden heavy snowfall events even as the broader seasonal trend moves toward spring. The combination of thunderstorms in northern Italy, high winds along the Spanish coast, and snowfall in Switzerland and parts of inland Spain points to a broad meteorological disturbance affecting a large portion of the continent simultaneously. Authorities in all three countries have urged residents in affected areas to take precautions ahead of the deteriorating conditions.