Since last Saturday there were daily already around 30 degrees, today Thursday the temperatures in German-speaking Switzerland are just below 30 degrees. From tomorrow Friday then until at least the middle of next week, 30 degrees and significantly more will be reached, a longer and more pronounced heat wave is pending. The maximum temperatures can rise in isolated cases even above 35 degrees! In addition, a record-high zero degree limit of about 5200 meters (previous record 5184 m on July 25, 2022 in Payerne) looms in the night to Monday. The long heat phase is disastrous for the swirling glaciers! In addition, it remains dry for almost a week, so that the drought worsens again.
Today Friday almost only in the south above 30 degrees
Today, Friday, the maximum temperatures were significantly lower than yesterday in the north, the 30-degree mark was reached only locally. In the south, however, there were again widespread 30 degrees and just above and thus a heat day (see map below). The heat wave, which lasted more than a week, is now also over there, and we close the ticker.
Fig. 1: Maximum temperatures today Friday; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
Today Thursday highest temperature of the year and several records!
Thursday afternoon brought the expected peak of this heat wave, the expectations were even slightly exceeded! The increasing southwesterly wind drove the temperatures in Geneva to 39.3 degrees. This is a new August record at this station, the second highest value of the measurement series and also the second highest value on the northern side of the Alps since the beginning of measurements! The absolute maximum value is 39.7 degrees in Geneva and comes from July 7, 2015. In addition, there were new all-time records in Nyon, Payerne, Mathod and Crans Montana. Sion equaled its all-time record of August 13, 2003 with 37.6 degrees.
Fig. 2: Maximum temperatures on August 24, 2023; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
Highest temperature (as of 17:00)
| Measuring stations | Highest temperature (in °C) |
|---|---|
| Geneva (420 a.s.l.) | 39.3 |
| Nyon (430 a.s.l.) | 38.5 |
| Payerne (490 a.s.l.) | 38.2 |
| Mathod (435 a.s.l.) | 38.2 |
| Sion (482 a.s.l.) | 37.6 |
| Glion (774 a.s.l.) | 37.0 |
| Fribourg-Posieux (646 a.s.l.) | 36.5 |
| Visp (640 a.s.l.) | 36.5 |
| Basel-Binningen (316 a.s.l.) | 36.4 |
| Delémont (439 a.s.l.) | 36.3 |
| Beznau (325 a.s.l.) | 36.3 |
| Evionnaz (480 a.s.l.) | 36.2 |
| Würenlingen (334 a.s.l.) | 36.1 |
| Bern-Belpmoos (510 a.s.l.) | 36.0 |
| Koppigen (484 a.s.l.) | 36.0 |
| Leibstadt (341 a.s.l.) | 36.0 |
| Mosen (453 a.s.l.) | 35.9 |
| Schaffhausen (438 a.s.l.) | 35.8 |
| Gösgen (380 a.s.l.) | 35.7 |
| Buchs-Aarau (387 a.s.l.) | 35.7 |
Today Wednesday locally again up to 37 degrees!
Today Wednesday similar maximum values as yesterday were reached, in Geneva and Sion the mercury column rose up to 37.0 degrees (see following hit list). In addition, there are also some stations with 35 degrees and more.
Fig. 1: Maximum temperatures today Wednesday; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
Tomorrow, Thursday, the peak of the current heat wave is expected, in Geneva and Sion 38 degrees are quite possible! After that, it will be successively less warm until Sunday, the long heat wave comes to an end.
Today Tuesday to locally 37 degrees!
Also today, Tuesday, it was hot, so there were 37.0 degrees in Sion and 36.7 degrees in Geneva, but also some other stations reported 35 degrees and more (see table below). But the end of the flagpole is not yet reached, on Thursday it should be even a touch hotter!
Highest temperature (as of 16:40)
| Measuring stations | Highest temperature (in °C) |
|---|---|
| Sion (482 a.s.l., VS) | 37.0 |
| Geneva (420 a.s.l., GE) | 36.7 |
| Evionnaz (480 a.s.l., VS) | 35.9 |
| Mathod (435 a.s.l., VD) | 35.8 |
| Payerne (490 a.s.l., VD) | 35.7 |
| Würenlingen (334 a.s.l., AG) | 35.2 |
| Cevio (416 a.s.l., TI) | 35.2 |
| Grono (325 a.s.l., GR) | 35.2 |
| Nyon (430 a.s.l., VD) | 35.1 |
| Bern-Belpmoos (510 a.s.l., BE) | 35.0 |
| Wynau (422 a.s.l., BE) | 35.0 |
| Bern (565 a.s.l., BE) | 34.9 |
| Locarno-Monti (367 a.s.l., TI) | 34.9 |
| Buchs-Aarau (387 a.s.l., AG) | 34.8 |
| Mühleberg (483 a.s.l., BE) | 34.8 |
| Basel-Binningen (316 a.s.l., BL) | 34.7 |
| Neuchâtel (485 a.s.l., NE) | 34.7 |
| Leibstadt (341 a.s.l., AG) | 34.7 |
| Zurich Airport (436 a.s.l., ZH) | 34.7 |
| Visp (640 a.s.l., VS) | 34.7 |
Again up to 36 degrees hot
Also on Monday, widespread temperatures of 30 to locally 36 degrees were registered, partly unusually high values for the second half of August. The leaders are Geneva and Sion with 36.2 degrees (as of 16:40), which equals the temperature record for Geneva for the second half of August from last Saturday, August 19.
Fig. 1: Highest temperatures on Monday, August 21 until 4 p.m.; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
Highest temperature (as of 16:40)
| Measuring stations | Highest temperature (in °C) |
|---|---|
| Geneva | 36.2 |
| Sion | 36.2 |
| Mathod | 35.7 |
| Payerne | 35.4 |
| Evionnaz | 35.4 |
| Koppigen | 35.2 |
| Würenlingen | 35.2 |
| Bern-Belpmoos | 35.0 |
| Mühleberg | 35.0 |
| Wynau | 34.8 |
| Bern | 34.7 |
| Grenchen | 34.6 |
| Buchs-Aarau | 34.6 |
| Beznau | 34.6 |
| Cevio | 34.6 |
| Leibstadt | 34.5 |
| Nyon | 34.5 |
| Grono | 34.5 |
| Hallau | 34.4 |
| Aigle | 34.4 |
On Tuesday and Wednesday, the temperatures will not change much, on Thursday, according to the current status, the temperature level should even rise again slightly.
Also today Sunday widespread hot, locally up to over 35 degrees
The heat went into the next round today, Sunday. The temperatures again exceeded the heat mark of 30 degrees widespread, locally there were again over 35 degrees (see following hit list). The hottest today was in Geneva and Sion with 36.0 degrees.
Fig. 1: Maximum temperatures today Sunday; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
Until at least Wednesday, probably also on Thursday, the current heat wave continues unchanged.
Locally hot to over 35 degrees!
Today, Saturday, the temperatures rose even slightly compared to yesterday and locally reached over 35 degrees (see following hit list). It was hottest in Geneva with 36.2 degrees.
Highest temperature (as of 16:50)
| Measuring stations | Highest temperature (in °C) |
|---|---|
| Geneva (420 a.s.l., GE) | 36.2 |
| Würenlingen (334 a.s.l., AG) | 35.1 |
| Basel-Binningen (316 a.s.l., BL) | 35.0 |
| Sion (482 a.s.l., VS) | 35.0 |
| Delémont (439 a.s.l., JU) | 34.9 |
| Mathod (435 a.s.l., VD) | 34.9 |
| Schaffhausen (438 a.s.l., SH) | 34.8 |
| Payerne (490 a.s.l., VD) | 34.7 |
| Leibstadt (341 a.s.l., AG) | 34.3 |
| Beznau (325 a.s.l., AG) | 34.2 |
| Grenchen (430 a.s.l., SO) | 34.0 |
| Mosen (453 a.s.l., LU) | 34.0 |
| Evionnaz (480 a.s.l., VS) | 34.0 |
| Koppigen (484 a.s.l., BE) | 33.9 |
| Möhlin (308 a.s.l., AG) | 33.8 |
| Zurich Airport (436 a.s.l., ZH) | 33.8 |
| Mühleberg (483 a.s.l., BE) | 33.6 |
| Zurich-Reckenholz (443 a.s.l., ZH) | 33.5 |
| Cham (440 a.s.l., ZG) | 33.5 |
| Hallau (419 a.s.l., SH) | 33.4 |
Least hot places at low altitudes at large lakes
Interesting is the view to the least hot places at low altitudes below 500 meters. Here, stations at larger lakes (Lake Geneva, Lake Constance, Lake Neuchâtel, Lake Lucerne) are mostly in the lead (see table below). Here, the cooling influence of the water comes into play. The dampening influence, however, is not very large, only Le Bouveret on Lake Geneva reported below 30 degrees at the stations on lakes.
Highest temperature (<500m, as of 16:50)
| Lowland stations | Highest temperature (in °C) |
|---|---|
| Le Bouveret (375 a.s.l., VS) | 29.4 |
| St. Chrischona (493 a.s.l., BS) | 29.9 |
| Vevey (383 a.s.l., VD) | 30.4 |
| Altenrhein (398 a.s.l., SG) | 31.0 |
| Lugano (273 a.s.l., TI) | 31.0 |
| Bad Ragaz (496 a.s.l., SG) | 31.2 |
| Gersau (435 a.s.l., SZ) | 31.3 |
| Altdorf (449 a.s.l., UR) | 31.5 |
| Güttingen (440 a.s.l., TG) | 31.6 |
| Locarno-Magadino (203 a.s.l., TI) | 31.8 |
| Vaduz (460 a.s.l.) | 31.8 |
| Oberriet (420 a.s.l., SG) | 32.0 |
| Locarno-Monti (367 a.s.l., TI) | 32.0 |
| Wädenswil (463 a.s.l., ZH) | 32.1 |
| Stabio (353 a.s.l., TI) | 32.2 |
| Aigle (381 a.s.l., VD) | 32.4 |
| Biasca (307 a.s.l., TI) | 32.4 |
| Galgenen (468 a.s.l., SZ) | 32.5 |
| Giswil (475 a.s.l., OW) | 32.5 |
| Cevio (416 a.s.l., TI) | 32.7 |
Also in the east again widespread over 30 degrees
In the east, the 30-degree mark was not cracked yesterday for once, today this was again widely the case. In Geneva, this Friday was already the 8th heat day in a row. In the summer of the century 2003, there were 13 heat days in a row between August 2 and 14. This mark could be reached by the middle of next week, or even exceeded – that depends on the Thursday of the coming week. What is special now is that the starting point of this heat period is clearly shifted backwards compared to 20 years ago, a large part of the heat days now falls in the second half of August with lower sunshine and longer nights. From the beginning to the end of August, the day length in Geneva decreases by 1 hour and 26 minutes. Attached is a brief overview with today's highs:
Fig. 1: Maximum temperatures on August 18, 2023; Source: MeteoNews, Ubimet
Highest temperature (as of 17:00)
| Measuring stations | Highest temperature (in °C) |
|---|---|
| Geneva (420 a.s.l., GE) | 34.8 |
| Payerne (490 a.s.l., VD) | 34.6 |
| Mathod (435 a.s.l., VD) | 34.5 |
| Basel-Binningen (316 a.s.l., BL) | 34.2 |
| Delémont (439 a.s.l., JU) | 33.8 |
| Wynau (422 a.s.l., BE) | 33.6 |
| Möhlin (308 a.s.l., AG) | 33.2 |
| Würenlingen (334 a.s.l., AG) | 33.2 |
| Nyon (430 a.s.l., VD) | 33.2 |
| Sion (482 a.s.l., VS) | 33.1 |
| Bern-Belpmoos (510 a.s.l., BE) | 33.0 |
| Grenchen (430 a.s.l., SO) | 32.9 |
| Evionnaz (480 a.s.l., VS) | 32.9 |
| Koppigen (484 a.s.l., BE) | 32.8 |
| Visp (640 a.s.l., VS) | 32.8 |
| Gösgen (380 a.s.l., SO) | 32.7 |
| Schaffhausen (438 a.s.l., SH) | 32.6 |
| Bern (565 a.s.l., BE) | 32.6 |
| Mühleberg (483 a.s.l., BE) | 32.6 |
| Mosen (453 a.s.l., LU) | 32.6 |
Today Thursday in German-speaking Switzerland for the last time below 30 degrees for a longer period of time
After daily highs of around 30 degrees since last Saturday, we expect a muggy mix of sun, high clouds and spring clouds in German-speaking Switzerland today, Thursday, with maximum temperatures of just under 30 degrees. Already in the morning, there will be first showers in the west, in the course of the afternoon, the risk of downpours and partly heavy thunderstorms will increase, especially in the Alps and subordinately in the Jura. In the lowlands and in southern Ticino, however, it should be only locally wet. In the west, 30 degrees and just above will be reached, and in Ticino around 30 degrees, with the zero degree limit at a high summery 4000 meters (see Fig. 1).
Fig. 1: Weather today Thursday; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
From tomorrow Friday longer heat wave
Until the day after tomorrow, a strong ridge of high pressure will build up over the Alpine region in the run-up to an Atlantic low pressure system, which will then remain almost stationary for a longer period of time (see Fig. 2).
Fig. 2: From Saturday, a stable and longer lasting ridge of high pressure will be over us (European weather model ECMWF) ; Source: MeteoNews, UBIMET
The associated subsidence processes within the atmosphere provide additional warming of the already very warm air masses and also stabilization, so that there will be no more thunderstorms in the mountains for a few days (cf. Fig. 3).
Fig. 3: Also in the mountains there is a lot of sun from Friday, and it remains thunderstorm-free (picture of the Murgtal); Source: Roger Perret
Temperatures will rise with plenty of sunshine until at least the middle of the coming week to 30 degrees and partly significantly more, locally even 35 degrees and slightly more are possible. The highest temperatures are expected on Saturday and towards the middle of next week, locally absolute record values are possible, especially at higher altitudes (see below).
Record high zero degree limit in sight
Also at altitude, as indicated, it is exceptionally mild, the zero degree line rises to over 5000 meters by Monday night and should then be at about 5200 meters. Thus, the previous record of 5184 meters could be broken on July 25, 2022 in Payerne! After that, the zero degree limit is slightly lower from Tuesday at still just under 5000 meters. On higher mountain stations, the previous absolute records could be exceeded locally, especially in the middle of next week (e.g. Jungfraujoch at 3580 m previous record 12.8 degrees or Piz Corvatsch at 3302 m 13.2 degrees), otherwise it might not be enough (partly just) for absolute records.
Series of tropical nights especially at somewhat higher altitudes
While the minimum temperatures in the Central Plateau and in the lower Alpine valleys, with the exception of the Rhine Valley, are mostly slightly below 20 degrees, the 20-degree mark will not be undercut, especially at somewhat higher altitudes and at large lakes, so that some tropical nights are to be expected.
Glaciers again suffering strongly
At the beginning of the month, where it partly snowed to just below 2000 meters, the glaciers received some fresh snow, so that the glacier melt was stopped. However, with temperatures returning to midsummer levels for the last few days, this snow has long since melted again (cf. fig. 4).
Fig. 4: Locally, attempts are being made to reduce glacier melt with fleece (current picture from Titlis); Source: roundshot
With the extremely high temperatures of the coming days, there is now a very strong ice melt, so that the glaciers are strongly affected. It looks like the record melt of last year will not be reached, but that it will be one of the worst years for the glaciers, the trend of increased glacier melt of recent years continues unabated.
Drought worsens again
August has been significantly too dry so far, especially in western Switzerland and in parts of Valais and Ticino (see yesterday's blog). This is also reflected in the current high risk of forest fires in Geneva and parts of the Valais (see Fig. 5).
Fig. 5: Current forest fire risk in Switzerland; Source: MeteoNews
With the prolonged dry phase, the situation will worsen here, but also in the other regions the dryness will increase in combination with the high heat.
Below is an overview of the weather tomorrow and in the coming days (cf. fig. 6).
Fig. 6: Weather outlook from tomorrow Friday to Wednesday; Source: MeteoNews
End of the heat in the second half of next week
The heat wave is expected to end in the second half of next week. It should be hot again on Thursday, but the tendency for thunderstorms will increase somewhat. After that, temperatures are expected to drop below 30 degrees until Saturday, but it is still too early to give a precise indication of the temperature drop and its extent.
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The content of this article has been at least partially computer translated from another language. Therefore, grammatical errors or inaccuracies are possible. Please note that the original language version of the article should be considered authoritative.
