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Heatwave: Switzerland swelters as temperatures reach 34C

Parts of Switzerland saw sweltering hot temperatures at the weekend, with highs of 34C. Extremely hot weather will continue this week - along with thunderstorms. 

Published: 14 August 2023 12:23 CEST
Updated: 14 August 2023 14:18 CEST
Summer in Lake Geneva area
Summer weather (here in Lake Geneva area) is back. Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP

It’s been a mixed few weeks in Switzerland, with plenty of rain and a drop in temperatures on the north side of the Alps. 

Last Sunday Zurich saw highs of just 15C, giving a much more autumnal feel to the start of August. 

Since then, however, summer weather has returned with full force.

And this weekend was a heatwave. In Geneva and Valais, temperatures reached a sticky 34C on Sunday, reported SRF Meteo. In Ilanz, the mercury topped 33C.

Later in the evening, thunderstorms emerged amid the humid air. In Laufen alone, 27 millimeters of rain fell in just one hour. More thunderstorms arrived overnight, particularly south of the Alps. 

In the coming week Switzerland will continue to see severely hot days with storms.

According to Meteonews, Geneva and Lausanne will see highs of 34C on Monday, while it will reach 31C in Zurich, while rainfall and thunderstorms are predicted around the country. 

READ ALSO: Eight swimming spots to escape the Swiss summer heat

On Tuesday, it’s a similar picture with temperatures topping 30C and a risk of more thunderstorms. 

Later in the week it is forecast to get even hotter. Highs of 35C are expected in Geneva and Lausanne – and it could even top 36C in these areas on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. On Sunday, it may even get to 37C in this part of the country, the current forecast shows. 

The renewed blast of heat is coming from humid air from the Iberian Peninsula, according to forecasters. 

Spain is currently suffering from another heatwave, with temperatures hovering around 40C. On Thursday, 46.8C was even reported in Valencia on the Mediterranean coast. 

READ MORE: Why getting permission for air conditioners is so hard 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.

READ ALSO:

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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