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WEATHER

Weather alert: Heavy snow forecast to hit in Switzerland

Much of Switzerland will experience significant snowfall, which could trigger avalanches in the mountains, forecasters say.

Published: 12 January 2021 09:37 CET
Weather alert: Heavy snow forecast to hit in Switzerland
Heavy snow is expected in Switzerland this week. Photo by AFP

On Tuesday January 12th, up to 15 centimetres of fresh snow is expected to fall on parts of the country, the federal meteorological service MeteoSwiss said.

 

The service is issuing a Level 3 weather alert for the Western Jura, the Swiss-Romand Plateau, and the Vaud Prealps.

The hazard categories are numbered 1 to 5, with 5 being the most severe one.

Then, between Tuesday noon and Thursday evening, humid polar air, accompanied by strong winds, is expected to dump 80 to 110 centimetres of snow on the northern slope of the Alps and in Valais above 1,000 metres.

The heavy snowfall could “significantly increase” the risk of avalanches in all regions of Switzerland, according to Swiss Avalanche Bulletin. 

The snow follows closely what MeteoSwiss qualified as the coldest weather of the current winter season so far — on January 9th, the temperature  dropped to -30.7 degrees in Glattalp in canton Schwyz.
 

READ MORE: EXPLAINED: What are the Covid-19 rules for skiing in Switzerland this winter? 

 

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WEATHER

What’s going on with Switzerland’s ‘summer’ weather and will it improve?

With frequent rains interlaced with sun, there has not been an uninterrupted stretch of good weather in Switzerland, as you’d normally expect from summer months. But this ‘spell’ is about to be broken.

Published: 23 July 2024 13:15 CEST
What's going on with Switzerland's 'summer' weather and will it improve?

In terms of weather, the past month has been chaotic: sunny days have been interrupted by bouts of heavy rains, literally dampening the spirits of all those hoping for an uninterrupted stretch of real summer.

Torrential rains have even turned tragic, unleashing flooding and landslides in some parts of Switzerland in June, which claimed several lives and caused substantial material damage.

Since then, the weather has been unstable, alternating between wet and dry spells.

But that is about to change.

‘Lots of sun and higher temperatures’

The mostly cloudy beginning of the week has morphed into a sunny Tuesday in most regions.

Wednesday and the rest of the week is expected to be the same, even though some cloud formations could hang over the Pre-Alps.

“But otherwise, in the plain regions, temperatures will be just within seasonal norms and close to 24 – 26C, and even 26 to 28C in Valais,” MeteoNews weather service indicates.

The forecast for the rest of the week also calls for “lots of sun and higher temperatures,” though occasional, regional thunderstorms can’t be ruled out.

What about the weekend?

On Saturday, temperatures will continue to rise, reaching 30C, and in certain regions even higher.

“In general, Thursday to Saturday will not only be very good weather for swimming, but also the best weather for hiking,” according to Switzerland’s official meteorological service, MeteoSwiss.

This is what you can expect in coming days, with the column on the left showing northeastern Switzerland, the middle one the western part, and the right one the south.

Screenshot from MeteoSwiss

Can we expect heatwaves?

Usually, when temperatures in Switzerland reach 30C, and last, uninterrupted, for several days or more, we can speak of a heatwave.

Meteorologists have not given any longer-term forecasts at this time, but if you are hoping to have a long stretch of extreme heat, be careful what you wish for.

Lest you forgot, summers of 2022 and 2023 were extremely hot, making a lot of people very uncomfortable — even more so since air-conditioning in Swiss homes is hard to come by and therefore rare.

READ ALSO: Why getting permission for air conditioners is so hard in Switzerland

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