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HEATWAVE

Parts of Switzerland on red alert as temperatures soar

A number of heat warnings remain in place across Switzerland as temperatures in some areas are expected to rise to 37C.

Published: 23 August 2023 13:17 CEST
A boy jumps into Lake Geneva at sunset from a platform off the village of Lutry, western Switzerland on August 9th 2020.
A boy jumps into Lake Geneva at sunset from a platform off the village of Lutry, western Switzerland on August 9th 2020. Switzerland is seeing severely hot weather this week. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP)

There has been no respite from the extreme heat in Switzerland this week. 

On Wednesday, a red level 4 ‘high danger’ heat warning was issued by MeteoSwiss in parts of southern and western Switzerland, while an orange level 3 ‘considerable danger’ alert was announced for large swathes of the country, as seen below. 

Switzerland's heat alerts on August 23rd.

Switzerland’s heat alerts on August 23rd. Screenshot: MeteoSwiss

Temperatures up to 37C were expected in Geneva on Wednesday, while it was due to hover around 35C in other areas. In Zurich highs of 33C were forecast.   

READ ALSO: What Swiss employees need to know about working in a heatwave

MeteoSwiss said that a temperature record for the second half of August was recorded on Tuesday at several locations, including in Zurich (34.7C) and Geneva (36.7). 

Meanwhile, the highest ever August temperature was recorded at the weather station in Disentis, Graubünden, where the mercury hit 32.8C.

Temperatures have not dropped below 30C during the day in many places since last Friday,

And there have also been ‘tropical nights’ – when the temperature doesn’t fall below 20C during the night, making it very uncomfortable to sleep. 

READ ALSO: Switzerland’s official advice on how to protect yourself in a heatwave

But the heatwave is due to end soon. 

On Friday it will get ever so slightly cooler with a maximum of 30C in Zurich and 32C in Geneva. 

On Saturday temperatures are expected to fall dramatically, with around 22C forecast in the north. 

In the south, the mercury is likely to dip under 30C at the weekend – Lugano is forecast to see 28C and Geneva 25C. But heavy showers and thunderstorms are expected all over the country, especially in the southwest.

From Sunday on, it will be even cooler – in Zurich it will barely reach 20C during the day, and in Bern just 19C.

And in the south, too, the hot summer will take a break: Geneva and Sion will see a maximum of 22C, while Lugano will be warmest at 24C. Again, showers are expected.

According to MeteoSwiss, the weather development from Monday onwards is quite uncertain, but it looks like it will be cooler for a while. 

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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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