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WEATHER

Switzerland to see temperatures ‘up to 30C’

April has only just begun and Switzerland is already facing summer temperatures.

Published: 3 April 2024 10:30 CEST
Warmer temperatures are arriving in Switzerland
Warmer temperatures are arriving in Switzerland. (Photo by Nadine Marfurt on Unsplash)

It may feel slightly strange to think about shorts and T-shirts so early in the year. But a spell of hot weather is coming. 

It will start to get warmer from Thursday and on Friday the thermometer in eastern Switzerland should crack the 20C mark. 

Saturday is forecast to be the first ‘summer’ day of the year.

Temperatures of up to 24C and sunshine are expected around Lake Constance and around 22C in St.Gallen.

In some parts of the country, the Mercury will rise to 25C and up to 28C locally. It is expected to reach 26C in Zurich and 25C in both Geneva and Bern. Overall, it is forecast to be the warmest in foehn regions and in north-west Switzerland.

For instance, on Saturday it could reach 28C in Chur and possibly 29C in Biasca, according to current forecasts by weather service MeteoSchweiz.

And on Sunday, MeteoSchweiz predicts temperatures could reach 29C in Chur and 30C in Biasca. 

According to meteorologists, if the temperature is at least 25C, it is classified as a summer day, and if it reaches 30C, it’s a heatwave day. 

The 30-year average for an April day on the northern side of the Alps is around 15C.

However, this wouldn’t be the earliest summer day recorded. 

Basel reported 25.2C on March 30th 1989, while Lugano measured 27.3C in March. But some records for the first half of April could be broken in some regions of Switzerland depending on how warm it gets. 

Saharan dust cloud may impact temperatures

According to forecasters, there is still some uncertainty about the upcoming days. 

The main factor making things more unpredictable is desert dust blowing over from the Sahara. 

The next load of Saharan dust will approach western regions over the course of Saturday.

On Sunday and Monday, dust concentrations over Switzerland are likely to be similar to those over Easter. That means cloudy skies can be expected and that could make it less warm.

It comes after a mixed bag of weather over the Easter weekend.

Around 180,000 tonnes of Saharan dust clouded the sky on Saturday and downpours spread over the country on Easter Sunday and Monday. 

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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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