According to Meteo Swiss, Switzerland experienced its hottest October since weather records began in 1864, surpassing the monthly average maximum by 1 degree. The unusually high average temperature was caused by a persistent air current from the west and southwest. In addition to higher temperatures, this led to less rain than normal and longer sunshine […]
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 […]
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 […]
Swiss dam dumping water during drought and energy shortage
A dam in Switzerland is releasing huge quantities of water despite widespread drought conditions and hose bans across Switzerland, reported Blick. The Gibidum reservoir and dam in the canton of Valais has a problem that much of the rest of the country would like to have: too much water. The dam that contains the lake’s […]
Coldest spring in Switzerland for 30 years
According to Meteo Swiss, spring this year was the coldest in 30 years. The mean May temperature across the country was 2.5 ° C below the 1981-2010 norm. Over the last 30 years, only 2019 and 2013 came close to having May temperatures as cold as they were in May 2021. When chilly May is […]
Swiss lakes at risk to climate change
Climate change could leave some Swiss lakes with higher amounts of algae and toxic cyanobacteria, according to a recent study by the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag). A simulation done by scientists at Eawag shows that as climate change alters water temperature, ice cover and mixing of many Swiss lakes could […]
Last weekend’s coldest Swiss temperature disqualified
Last weekend, at 4am on Saturday a thermometer at Switzerland’s Glattalp weather station 1,900m above sea level plunged to -44 degrees Celsius, the coldest temperature ever recorded in Switzerland. However, the record was disqualified because the thermometer was not in the open air at 2 metres from the ground. Instead it was buried under snow. […]
Swiss government relaxes rules for most polluting cars
Citing the economic effects of the Coronavirus pandemic, Switzerland’s Federal Council has decided to relax measures designed to curb the sale of the most polluting cars in Switzerland. In July 2012, Switzerland introduced regulations on the CO2 emissions of new cars. The rules, which include average fleet emissions limits, apply to any vendor importing more […]
Switzerland set for warmest recorded winter
Switzerland is heading for its warmest winter since records began in 1864, according to Swiss Meteo. The average temperature across the period from December to February was 0.7 degrees, according to the weather forecaster. This winter brought a more consistent than normal warm air current from the Atlantic ocean. This has prevented cold air descending […]
Switzerland’s largest glacier could shrink by half by century end
Recent 3D modelling estimates how climate change will affect the Aletsch Glacier. In the worst case scenario modeled by researchers at the federal technology institute ETH Zurich, only a few small patches of ice would remain. Aletsch, the largest glacier in Switzerland and the Alps, currently stretches over 23 km from its 4,000m high starting […]
