Statistics published this week by the Federal Statistical Office (FSO), show that 70.1% of homes in Switzerland are heated by burning either mazout (heating oil), gas or wood. Across Switzerland 40.7% of homes are heated with mazout or heating oil. A further 17.6% are heated by burning gas and 11.8% by burning wood. These high […]
September unusually cold and wet in Switzerland
From the middle of the month cold air flowed into Switzerland and the snow line fell to 1,400 m, reported Meteo Swiss. The sudden drop resulted in an unusually cool average September temperature, it said. At 10 degrees, the average monthly temperature was 0.4 degrees below the average between 1991 to 2020 norm. However, the […]
Swiss glaciers break melt record this summer
Swiss glaciers have not melted as much in a year as they did in 2022, according to a report by the Swiss Academy of Sciences (SCNAT). During 2022, Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than 6% of their volume. A combination of low winter snowfall and a series of summer heat waves caused the largest loss of […]
Snow expected in Switzerland on Saturday
Hot on the tail of one of the hottest summer ever recorded in Switzerland comes snow. SRF weather forecasts the first snow of the winter season on Saturday 17 September 2022 at altitudes as low as 1,200m. On Saturday, the towns of Arosa and Davos should be white, said the weather forecaster. On Friday evening […]
Switzerland to use electric cars to power grid
This week, an experiment to use electric cars to stabilise the electricity grid started in Switzerland. The VX2 Swiss project, which will run for a year, will inject the power from the batteries of 50 electric vehicles into the grid while they are not being used. Run from Bern, the project brings together seven companies […]
Swiss government launches energy saving campaign
On 31 August 2022, Switzerland’s federal government launched its campaign to cut energy consumption to reduce the risks of an energy shortfall over the coming winter. The government stressed that there was currently no energy shortfall. However, Simonetta Sommaruga, the minister in charge of energy, said it was important to cut energy consumption to avoid […]
Chart of the week: Swiss forest cover compared to other European nations
Before humans settled in western Europe the majority of its surface was covered in forest. Since then much of the natural forest has been displaced by agriculture, buildings and infrastructure. In a list of 16 western European nations, Switzerland was ranked 9th in terms of the percentage of its surface covered in forest (32%). Finland, […]
The 3 biggest current concerns in Switzerland, based on survey
According to a recent survey, health costs, pensions and climate change and the three greatest concerns among Switzerland’s population. The online survey published by Tamedia on 26 August 2022 looks at support for the main political parties along with the main concerns of voters. Since the previous survey on 5 January 2022, support for the […]
2022 Switzerland’s second hottest summer since 1864
The summer of 2022 was Switzerland’s second hottest since the beginning of measurements in 1864, according to weather forecaster Meteo Swiss. The only hotter summer was recorded in 2003. The last three months were extremely dry, especially in western Switzerland, with repeated heat waves and sunshine hours well above the norm, wrote Meteo News. Average […]
Early grape harvest looks promising for 2022 Swiss wine vintage
An unusually hot summer in Switzerland has brought forward grape harvesting by a record three weeks, reported RTS. A harvest this early has never been seen before and is expected to result in good quality grapes that could produce excellent wine. Last year, disturbed weather patterns took a huge toll on Swiss grape harvests. Yields […]
