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WEATHER

Winter makes dramatic May return in Switzerland

People in some parts of Switzerland had to rub their eyes with disbelief on Sunday as they woke up to fresh snow.

Published: 6 May 2019 09:36 CEST
Updated: 6 May 2019 11:36 CEST
Winter makes dramatic May return in Switzerland
Horses in Switzerland in April. File photo: AFP

The Swiss capital of Bern saw four centimetres of snow on Sunday – a new record for the latest date for fresh snow in the city. The previous latest date for new snow was on May 1st in 1945.

The eastern city of St Gallen, which is 669 metres above sea level, also saw its latest snow ever. The cathedral city saw total snowfall of 19 centimetres.

The week has also got off to an icy start in Switzerland, even in low-lying areas, with forecasters issuing a frost warning.

The temperature in Bern on Monday morning was a decidedly chilly –2.3C, while in Mathod in the canton of Vaud, that was –2.6C.

The forecast maximums for Monday are 13C in Geneva, 10C in Bern and Zurich and 7C in St Gallen where conditions remain cooler. In Ticino, sun and temperatures of around 17C are expected.

The weekend’s cold temperatures come on the heels of an April that was slightly warmer than usual in many parts of Switzerland. Total sunshine hours were around average, private weather service MeteoNews reported.

The forecast for this week from official Swiss meteorological service MeteoSwiss.

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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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