The worst damage was caused in the Swiss Canton of Grisons, and in the German and Austrian regions of the Eastern Alps. In Switzerland heavy rainfall led to flooding and landslides. The Swiss meteorological office reported record volumes of rain for several Swiss cities. In the Eastern Alps forests were devastated, power lines went down, and travel by road and rail was severely hampered. The German meteorological office spoke of the worst storms in the Alps for twenty years.
Meteorologists cannot explain individual events solely in terms of global warming. What they are seeing, however, is confirmation of their predictions that the observed trend towards warmer winters will lead to more and more disastrous storms. One factor is the increase in moisture absorbed by the air masses above the sea and then carried by the winds to the Alps, where it triggers heavy precipitation.
Sources: Tages-Anzeiger 18.11.02 and 19.11.02, Süddeutsche Zeitung 18.11.02