This spring in Switzerland was one of the warmest since records began
The spring of 2022 in Switzerland was one of the warmest since records began, with temperatures from March to May 2.5 degrees above normal, the public weather service SRF Meteo announced on Saturday.
This content was published on May 28, 2022 – 18:50
Only 2007 and 2011 have been warmer since records began in 1864, it said. In addition, the weather was drier than in the past, so there is a risk of water shortages this summer.
There is also a lack of snow, which serves as a water reservoir. In the coming months, only a quarter of the usual snow reserves will be available. There is still 35 centimeters of snow at the Weissfluhjoch measurement site above Davos in eastern Switzerland, but the norm for May 28 is 1.4 meters of snow.
To compensate for this, plenty of precipitation is needed this summer, otherwise there could be problems with the water supply, according to SRF Meteo.
This spring was also sunnier than usual with over 600 hours of sunshine, reports the weather service. In the Swiss cities of Aarau, Lucerne, Schaffhausen, St. Gallen and Arosa, March was the sunniest month since the surveys began.
Switzerland has experienced several episodes of hotter and drier weather in recent years amid warnings about climate change. For example, in the hot and dry summer of 2018, helicopters from the Swiss army were even used to supply cattle breeders on high alpine pastures with emergency water.
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