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WEATHER

Switzerland hit by 50,000 lightning strikes in night of storms

Switzerland saw more than 50,000 lightning strikes in one night, weather experts said.

Published: 12 July 2023 16:44 CEST
Lightning is seen above Lake Geneva from Chexbres, western Switzerland during a storm on July 11, 2023.
Lightning is seen above Lake Geneva from Chexbres, western Switzerland during a storm on July 11, 2023.(Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

After a sweltering hot spell, storms came in thick and fast across many Swiss regions on Tuesday evening. 

Switzerland’s official meteorological service, MeteoSwiss, declared the highest danger level, urging people to exercise caution due to the weather. 

The storms left a trail of destruction across the country, causing injuries.

According to police, a woman was struck by lightning in Villars-sur-Glâne, western Switzerland, and was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

Trees were uprooted, while cars and homes were also damaged. 

Travel was also impacted. At Zurich airport check-ins were halted for safety reasons. Rail services were also disrupted in some places.

Earlier in the day, the temperature in parts of the country including Chur rose above 37C for the first time this year.

According to Meteo News, more than 50,000 lightning bolts struck Switzerland during the night of storms. 

Thunder, torrential rain and powerful gusts of wind were also recorded. 

And bad weather continued on Wednesday. A weather warning level ‘3’ – the second highest – was in place. 

On Wednesday afternoon Bern’s trams were disrupted due to flooding in the city centre, while torrential rain and storms hit other places including Zurich. 

Delays and cancellations on several lines were expected until early evening. 

Forecasters said more storms should be expected in Switzerland when temperatures rise significantly. 

“Yesterday’s thunderstorm was just the beginning,” weather expert Roger Perret told Blick. “Thunderstorms follow beautiful, hot days – that is completely normal. And typical for high summer.”

It is expected to get warm again this weekend, with temperatures around 35C forecast on Saturday. 

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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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