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Switzerland weather: Snow and rain forecast in various regions

After a relatively warm and sunny weather in the past weeks, many Swiss areas will now experience colder temperatures and precipitation.

Published: 4 October 2021 12:59 CEST
The shape of things to come: Snow is predicted this week in Switzerland.
Workers clearing the snow off roofs in mountain areas. Photo by CHRISTOF STACHE / AFP

We knew it would come sooner or later, and we were right: the summer-like weather that most of Switzerland enjoyed throughout much of September and the first days of October is now officially over, according to meteorologists.

Depending on where you are, you might be hit by waves of rain or even snow this week. 

From Monday and until the end of the week, temperatures will drop into the single-digit range in the mornings, rising only slightly in the afternoon.

It will rain sporadically throughout most of the country, but the heaviest and most continuous rainfall is predicted for Ticino, where a total of 150 to 250 millimetres of rain will be dumped.

It will be wet in Ticino this week. Photo by Todd Diemer on Unsplash

By the middle of the week, the snow line will drop from high Alpine areas to 1,300 metres, although snowflakes at lower altitudes are not excluded.

On the weekend, sun should again peek through the clouds, at least in some places.

However, temperatures of 20 degrees or more experienced in the last weeks are now a thing of the past. They will raise to a maximum of 14 to 16 degrees.

READ MORE: Snow business: How to find a job in winter sports in Switzerland

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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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