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WEATHER

Heatwave latest: Switzerland could see 38C this week

Switzerland is in the midst of another heatwave this week with temperatures as high as 38C possible on Thursday.

Published: 22 July 2019 17:31 CEST
Heatwave latest: Switzerland could see 38C this week
The good news is this heatwave won't be as intense as last month's. File photo: AFP

Temperatures were already climbing on Monday with Sion in the canton of Valais registering 34.7C and Geneva seeing 32.6C, according to MeteoNews.

But things are expected to get even hotter with 34–37C forecast for many parts of the country on Wednesday and Thursday.

In some locations, the thermometer could even top out at 38C on Thursday, according to SRF Meteo.

Anyone hoping for cooler nights will also be disappointed with minimums of over 20C predicted in cities and on the Swiss plateau.

Hottest parts of the country

The hottest parts of the country this week are set to be Geneva, the canton of Valais, the region around Basel and the Chur section of the Rhine Valley.

In some places, there could be new records set, according to SRF Meteo.

Friday will be a touch cooler while storms and temperatures of around 30C are forecast for Switzerland on Saturday.

Image: MeteoSwiss

The good news is that the current heatwave is unlikely to be as scorching at that which hit Switzerland in late June.

Elsewhere in Europe, this week's heatwave could bring record temperatures to Paris while Germany could see temperatures above 38C.

Read also: Working in a heatwave: The Swiss laws employees should know about

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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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