Ships plying the Rhine in Switzerland have had to ditch much of their cargo as a a prolonged absence of rain causes water levels to dip way below normal.

"/> Ships plying the Rhine in Switzerland have had to ditch much of their cargo as a a prolonged absence of rain causes water levels to dip way below normal.

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Lack of rain hurts cargo firms on Rhine

Ships plying the Rhine in Switzerland have had to ditch much of their cargo as a a prolonged absence of rain causes water levels to dip way below normal.

Published: 24 November 2011 15:37 CET

Lack of rain hurts cargo firms on Rhine

Swiss images (File)

With almost no rain falling on Switzerland in the last month, the depth of the Rhine stands at a measly 1.5 metres in the harbour in Basel, compared to its usual three or four metres in November.

The shallow waters are causing major losses for cargo companies that can only transport between 30 to 40 percent of their usual load.

The head of the Danser cargo firm, Heinz Amacker, said revenue was down by 50 percent over the last two weeks.

“Cargo ships normally carry 3,200 tonnes of goods, but at the moment they are only transporting 900 to 1,000,” Amacker told newspaper NZZ.

He said it was impossible to compensate by increasing the price threefold, but he admits having raised the price per tonne transported by 20 to 30 percent.

If it does not rain in the coming weeks, the situation could become precarious, said Amacker. If the water level drops to 1.20 metres, ships will no longer be able to dock in the city’s port.

According to weather forecasts, Switzerland is set remain in the grip of the unusual autumn drought for several more weeks. The protracted dry spell is the second of its kind this year, after very little rain fell in the period from February to April.

In the last 150 years, only 1921 saw drier weather for the period from January to October.

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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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