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River swimmers advised of cold water risks

As Switzerland basks in the sun for a second day swimmers are being warned that many rivers and lakes have yet to heat up.

Published: 24 June 2016 11:11 CEST
River swimmers advised of cold water risks
Cooling off should be done with care. Photo: bad-info.ch

The country experienced its first tropical night of the year on Thursday, according to the French-language 20 minutes, with temperatures not falling below 20 degrees in the cantons of Vaud and Valais.

It quoted weather service Meteonews as saying the warmest place overnight (22.5 degrees) was Rünenberg in the cantonal of Basel-Land.

The mini heatwave that arrived on Thursday brought temperatures of up to 35 degrees, tempting many to head for a river or lake.

But, according to the paper, experts warned swimmers not to expect warm water temperatures as a result.

The water temperature in rivers is lower than at this time last year, which could result in swimmers experiencing potentially fatal muscle cramps, it quoted Reto Abächerli of the Swiss lifesavers’ society SLRG SSS as saying.

In addition, the heavy rain that preceded the heatwave means many rivers are swollen.

“In a river a high water level also means a stronger current,” said Abächerli.

“This means it takes longer to reach the shore.”

The water temperature in Swiss lakes is currently between 17 and 24 degrees, meteonews reported.

On Wednesday an asylum seeker drowned in a lake near Aesch in the canton of Lucerne, 20 minutes said, bringing the number of those who have drowned this year to 11.

The heatwave is likely to be of short duration. Meteonews forecasts a cold weather front for Friday evening, accompanied by storms.

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WEATHER

IN PICTURES: ‘Exceptional’ Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

An "exceptional" dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent's climate monitor said on Monday, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime.

Published: 8 April 2024 14:15 CEST
IN PICTURES: 'Exceptional' Sahara dust cloud hits Europe

Copernicus Atmosphere Monitoring Service said the latest plume, the third of its kind in recent weeks, was bringing hazy conditions to southern Europe and would sweep northward as far as Scandinavia.

Mark Parrington, senior scientist at Copernicus, said the latest event was related to a weather pattern that has brought warmer weather to parts of Europe in recent days.

“While it is not unusual for Saharan dust plumes to reach Europe, there has been an increase in the intensity and frequency of such episodes in recent years, which could be potentially attributed to changes in atmospheric circulation patterns,” he said.

This latest episode has caused air quality to deteriorate in several countries, Copernicus said.

The European Union’s safe threshold for concentrations of PM10 — coarser particles like sand and dust that that can irritate the nose and throat — has already been exceeded in some locations.

A picture taken on April 8, 2024 shows a rapeseed field under thick sand dust blown in from the Sahara, giving the sky a yellowish appearance near Daillens, western Switzerland. – An “exceptional” dust cloud from the Sahara is choking parts of Europe, the continent’s climate monitor said, causing poor air quality and coating windows and cars in grime. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

The worst affected was the Iberian Peninsula in Spain but lesser air pollution spikes were also recorded in parts of Switzerland, France and Germany.

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Local authorities in southeastern and southern France announced that the air pollution threshold was breached on Saturday.

They advised residents to avoid intense physical activity, particularly those with heart or respiratory problems.

The dust outbreak was expected to reach Sweden, Finland and northwest Russia before ending on Tuesday with a shift in weather patterns, Copernicus said.

The Sahara emits between 60 and 200 million tonnes of fine dust every year, which can travel thousands of kilometres (miles), carried by winds and certain meteorological conditions.

The Spanish Canary Islands off the coast of northwest Africa saw just 12 days within a 90-day period from December to February where skies were free of Saharan dust, the local weather agency Aemet had reported.

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