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Heatwave puts June on course to be among hottest on record in Switzerland

As Switzerland sweats under a heatwave this week, meteorologists have said the month of June is likely to be among the second or third hottest ever recorded – though it won’t quite beat 2003’s record.

Published: 21 June 2017 08:56 CEST
Heatwave puts June on course to be among hottest on record in Switzerland
People cool down in the 2015 heatwave in Lausanne. Photo: Fabrice Coffrini/AFP
Temperatures topped 30 degrees in many parts of the country on Tuesday and look set to stay that way for the rest of the week and beyond. 
 
MeteoNews issued a heatwave alert for much of Switzerland and said the hot weather will persist until the beginning of next week at the earliest. 
 
Temperatures up to 35 degrees are possible, especially in Basel, the Valais and Ticino.
 
“Given the heatwave this week, this month of June 2017 should be the second or third hottest June in Switzerland since records began more than 150 years ago,” it said. 
 
Only June 2003 is likely to be hotter. 
 
 
MeteoSuisse said the average monthly temperature across the country was around three degrees hotter than the norm. 
 
The monthly average won’t surpass the 24 degrees of June 2003, but “there is every chance that 2017 will take second place,” it said, beating 2002 when the average was 20.5 degrees.
 
The European heatwave of 2003 caused the death of 70,000 people across the continent including 975 in Switzerland, seven percent more than the country's normal death rate, according to the Office of public health.
 
The heat is most dangerous for young children and people aged over 65. 
 
Several cities have emergency measures in place to help elderly people suffering in the heat. 
 
Authorities in Lausanne and Geneva pay visits to the over 75s during a heatwave and have established a helpline for those concerned. 
 
Generally, people are advised to avoid going out in the heat during the hours of 11am to 6pm, to drink around two litres of water a day, eat cold meals and avoid physical exercise. 
 
Source: MeteoSuisse

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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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