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WEATHER

Parts of Switzerland experience warmest January on record

Despite the huge amounts of snow that fell in some areas of the country in the last few weeks, this January was in fact the warmest on record in some low-lying places, according to meteorologists.

Published: 29 January 2018 11:54 CET
Parts of Switzerland experience warmest January on record
File photo: PositiveEnergy/Depositphotos
Geneva recorded an average temperature of six degrees, the warmest since records began, said MeteoSuisse. 
 
The weather station at Sion in the Valais expects an average of four degrees for January, around one degree higher than ever before.
 
And in many parts both to the north and south of the Alps it’s likely to be the second warmest since records began in 1864, added MeteoSuisse.
 
The higher temperatures are a consequence of frequent storms coming from the west and south-west, said meteorologists. Almost continuous warm air from the Atlantic has raised temperatures and prevented cold air from stagnating on the Swiss plains, which is what normally happens in winter. 
 
However it’s a different story at altitude, where temperatures have been about normal for the month. 
 
For some parts of the Swiss Alps, January has been characterized by huge amounts of snow that cut off some ski villages on two separate occasions. 
 
 
Speaking to the Tribune de Genève, meteorologist Didier Ulrich said it’s not unusual that an overall warm month should nevertheless bring lots of snow. 
 
“The coldest winters are not those when it snows the most,” he said. “In fact, it all depends on the direction of the winds.”
 
While normally Switzerland experiences a north-easterly bise in January, bringing cold, clear nights, this month westerly winds from the Atlantic have dominated, “bringing at the same time warmth, clouds and heavy precipitation”, he explained.
 
Geneva, while warm, had the fifth wettest January since 1864, with twice as much rain as normal, said the paper.
 
Sion in the Valais, near some the ski resorts rendered inaccessible by snow, saw 200mm of precipitation, four times the norm.
 
The Grand St Bernard pass at 2,500m altitude saw a whopping 850mm of precipitation in January, where normally it only gets 230mm.
 
The warm weather is a contrast to January 2017, which was the coldest for 30 years but didn't experience a great deal of snow. 
 
 

WEATHER

Will Switzerland be visited by ‘Ice Saints’ this year?

Ascension is not the only annual happening in the country in May, as Switzerland also ‘celebrates’ another 'chilling' event this month.

Published: 8 May 2024 14:20 CEST
Will Switzerland be visited by 'Ice Saints' this year?

From May 11th to the 15th, a meteorological event takes place each year in Switzerland.

It “observes”, though admittedly not on scientific basis, a centuries-old weather phenomenon called “Ice Saints”.

What exactly is it?

As its name suggests, it is related to saints, as well as ice and frost.

The saints in question are St Mamertus, St Pancras, St Servatius and St Boniface.

According to a weather lore, once these Ice Saints have passed through Switzerland in the middle of May, frost will no longer pose a threat to farmers and their land.

As the official government meteorological service MeteoSwiss explains it, “spring frosts have been a regular occurrence for centuries, giving rise to the traditional belief that a blast of cold air often arrives in the middle of May. Over time, this piece of weather lore became known as the Ice Saints.”

Fact versus myth

You may be wondering whether the Ice Saints lore actually has basis in reality.

Records, which date back to 1965 and originate from the Geneva-Cointrin, Payerne, and Zurich-Kloten weather stations, “clearly show that, over the long-term average, frost directly above the soil is only a regular occurrence up until the middle of April”, MeteoSwiss says. “After that, the frequency with which ground frost occurs progressively declines to almost zero by the end of May.”

“We can conclude, therefore, that there is no evidence in Switzerland to confirm the Ice Saints as a period in May when ground frost is more common.”

However, MeteoSwiss does concede that “ground frost is nevertheless a regular occurrence throughout May as a whole…having occurred at least once or twice in May every year, and in around 40 percent of the years there were more than two days in May with ground frost.”

What about this year?

MeteoSwiss weather forecast for the next seven days indicates that, this year too, no frost will be present on the ground in mid-May.

In fact, temperatures through much of Switzerland will be in double digits, reaching between 18C and 25C, depending on the region.

You can see what to expect in your area, here. 

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