Swiss Avalanche Fatalities Since 1995

ENVIDAT's dataset catalogs all fatal avalanche accidents in Switzerland from October 1, 1995 onward. It records details for each incident, including date, location, terrain characteristics, and casualty counts. The collection was updated annually after each hydrological year but has not been updated after 2022.

Use Cases

• Analyze temporal trends in avalanche fatalities using the date_of_the_accident field.
• Model avalanche risk by terrain using slope_aspect, slope_inclination, and elevation columns.
• Assess geographic patterns of fatal incidents across Swiss cantons using the canton and locality_name fields.
• Correlate forecasted_avalanche_danger_level with actual fatal outcomes and casualty counts.
• Study human activity patterns during incidents using the activity_location_of_the_accident_party field.

Strengths

• Covers fatal avalanche incidents across Switzerland for over 25 years, starting in 1995.
• Includes specific geospatial and terrain features like coordinates, elevation, slope aspect, and inclination.

Limitations

• Data collection stopped after the 2022 hydrological year, creating a temporal gap.
• Unknown row count prevents assessment of statistical significance.
• Spatial coverage is limited to Switzerland, limiting generalizability to other regions.

Provenance

Source

ENVIDAT

Collection Method

Compilation of reported fatal avalanche accidents, updated annually per hydrological year.

Time Range

1995-10-01 to 2022

Freshness

null

Geography

Switzerland