Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

WEATHER

Switzerland to see temperatures rise over 35C

People in Switzerland will have to take extra care this week as extreme heat is forecast.

Published: 4 July 2023 17:16 CEST
Ice cream
You may need an ice cream to cool down in Switzerland this weekend. Photo by Priscilla Du Preez on Unsplash

Stock up on sunscreen and make sure you drink plenty of water – Switzerland is going to see temperatures around 35C this weekend, according to meteorologists.

The mercury is set to climb as early as Friday. “In some places it will hit 30C,” Roger Perret from Meteo News told Swiss newspaper Blick.

It is forecast to get even hotter at the weekend, with up to 33C expected in Zurich on Saturday and 35C on Sunday. In the rest of Switzerland, it’s a similar picture with the likes of Geneva and Bern also seeing soaring temperatures. 

Locally the temperatures could climb even higher. In Basel, it’s forecast to reach 36C on Sunday. 

The hot weather comes as festival season in Switzerland continues. 

Both Zurich’s festival, Züri Fäscht, and the annual hip hop event, Openair Frauenfeld, are taking place over the weekend.

Revellers are being urged to make sure they take precautions in the heat. 

READ ALSO: How you can make the most of the hectic Swiss summer

The map shows a view of the temperatures expected in Switzerland on Sunday July 9th.

The map shows a view of the temperatures expected in Switzerland on Sunday July 9th. Screenshot: Meteonews

Much of Europe is experience sweltering temperatures, with southern Spain set to see temperatures in the 40Cs.

“Now the heat is being transported by a long-drawn south-westerly flow over southern France towards Switzerland,” Perret said. 

According to forecasters there is also likely be a few thunderstorms in Switzerland in the coming days and possibly the weekend which may cool things down, at least for a period of time.

But it’s not yet possible to predict where and how strong the storms will be. 

What is clear, though, is that next week will remain warm, at least initially. 

“Depending on the weather model, it’s unlikely for areas to drop under the 30C mark until Tuesday,” said Perret.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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. 

SHOW COMMENTS