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2018 was hottest year on record for much of Switzerland

This year was the hottest ever recorded in northern Switzerland while the same could yet prove to be true for areas south of the Alps.

Published: 18 December 2018 09:42 CET

2018 was hottest year on record for much of Switzerland

Water games in the Swiss city of Lausanne on July 14th. Photo: AFP

Temperatures across the country in 2018 were an average 2.5C higher than for the years from 1961 to 1990, SRF Meteo said in a statement.

Temperatures were also an average 2C higher in the north in the country and 1.5C higher south of the Alps compared to the period 1981 to 2010.

The pattern for the year was evident from the start with some parts of the country experiencing the warmest January on record. February and March were colder than usual but since then the country has notched up all sorts of weather records.

However, the hottest temperature in Switzerland this year – a very warm 36.2C in Sion in the canton of Valais on August 5th – is a long way short of the all-time record of 41.5C, seen in Misox in the canton of Graubünden in 2003.

Meanwhile, the coldest temperature recorded by official government weather stations was -30.9C on the Piz Corvatsch mountain, also in Graubünden.

Drought conditions at the Lac des Brenets on the Swiss–French border in September. Photo: AFP

The year 2018 will also be remembered for extremely dry conditions, especially from April through to October, although a wet January and higher than average rainfalls in autumn in many places mean that, in purely statistical terms, the last 12 months have not been remarkably dry, SRF Meteo reported.

Read also: Nine wonderful winter activities in Switzerland that aren't skiing

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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