Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

STORM

Warm, wacky and wild weather predicted for Switzerland this weekend

From Spring-like temperatures in parts of the country to avalanche warnings in other areas, wild, weird and inconsistent weather has been predicted for Switzerland this weekend.

Published: 5 February 2021 18:40 CET
Warm, wacky and wild weather predicted for Switzerland this weekend
Photo: FABRICE COFFRINI / AFP

It’s not yet the middle of February but this weekend will see the first pollen of the Spring. According to meteorologists, the mild temperatures are responsible for bringing the plants to bloom early. 

In bad news for allergy sufferers, high levels of pollen are predicted in the north and south of the country. 

 

 

According to meteorologist Klaus Marqardt, it does not take much warm weather for plants to believe winter is over. 

“It only has to be mild for a week and it will start to bloom,” Marquardt told Swiss news outlet 20 Minutes. 

“It is clear, however, that the temperatures are too mild for this time of the year,” he said. But unfortunately for warm weather lovers, one sneeze does not a summer make. 

“On Sunday a cold front comes up again and then the pollen count is over again,” he said. 

Indeed, there are avalanche warnings for much of Switzerland over the weekend. 

A 28-year-old snowboarder died on Thursday in Grisons, bringing the number of winter sportspeople who died in avalanches this winter to 18. 

READ MORE: Is the pandemic to blame for Switzerland's spate of avalanche deaths? 

A low pressure system is expected to move into mountainous regions this weekend, bringing with it snow, wind and cold temperatures. 

In the Swiss Alps there is this weekend a considerable risk of avalanches, for example in Valais, Bern, in central Switzerland and in Graubünden.

Up to date information on avalanches can be found at the following link. 

 

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

SHOW COMMENTS