Hot summer in Switzerland | proplanta.de
The summer heat of 2022 extends over all three summer months. The nationwide average was the second hottest June, the fourth hottest July and finally the second hottest August since records began in 1864. This is after the second warmest May since measurements began.
The national mean summer temperature was 2.3 °C above the 1991–2020 norm. Only the legendary hot summer of 2003 brought more warmth with 3 °C above the norm. Second place for the summer temperature was recorded in all regions of Switzerland.
June heat
The first heat wave started in mid-June. The northern edge of Switzerland and the regions of Neuchâtel, Sion and Biasca were the front runners with over 36 °C. Beznau on the northern edge of Switzerland delivered the highest measured temperature at 36.9 °C. Biasca in Ticino was just below that with 36.6 °C. The highest Swiss daily maximum for June so far comes from the Basel measurement series from June 1947 with also 36.9 °C.
Local record heat
Neuchâtel experienced what was clearly the hottest three-day period in June since measurements began in 1864, with an average daily maximum of 34.6 °C. The previous June record was 32.9 °C (hot summer 1947) and 32.8 °C (hot summer 2003).
early heatwave
The hot spell in mid-June was striking early. The high three-day heat measured in Neuchâtel at such an early point in the year is less common than is to be expected every 25 years. Early timing aside, however, the June heatwave was nothing unique, despite record or near-record levels for the month of June. Switzerland is familiar with far more intense and longer-lasting heat from the years 2015, 2003, 1983 and 1947, for example.
July heat
Towards the middle of July, Switzerland was hit by a second hot spell. July 19 was the hottest day in July for large parts of the north side of the Alps. The daily highs rose to 33 to 35 °C in many places north of the Alps and in Valais. Locally there was also 36 °C and more. On the southern side of the Alps, the highest values are between 33 and 34.5 °C.
Long heatwave
The hot spell in July, which hit western and southern Switzerland particularly hard, was not unique in terms of maximum temperatures. What made the hot spell exceptional was its duration from July 14th to 26th. This made it one of the longest hot spells ever recorded in Switzerland. Lugano and Geneva registered the second hottest 14-day period since measurements began in 1864. So far, there has only been comparable persistent heat in July 2015 and August 2003.
August heat
The third hot spell began at the beginning of August. The southern side of the Alps was already feeling the heat in the last days of July. On August 4, Geneva reported the highest value of the Swiss summer of 2022 at 38.3 °C. The highest value ever measured on the north side of the Alps also comes from Geneva. It was 39.7 °C and dated July 7, 2015. Grono on the southern side of the Alps holds the absolute Swiss record with 41.5 °C, reached on August 11, 2003.
Lots of hot days
The phase of very high temperatures ended on August 5th, 2022 on the north side of the Alps and on August 6th, 2022 on the south side of the Alps. However, hot days with 30 °C or more can still occur on both sides of the Alps afterwards. The extremely warm May also brought isolated hot days in Switzerland. The total number of hot days rose locally to high values by the end of the summer.
Geneva recorded 39 hot days, second place since measurements began in 1864. The record comes from the hot summer of 2003 with 50 hot days. Lugano, with an equally long measurement series, also reported second place with 37 hot days. The hot summer of 2003 delivered 47 hot days here. In Sion, when measurements began in 1958, there were 48 hot days. This is just under the record of 50 hot days in the hot summer of 2003.
In Stabio in southern Ticino, the super record from 2003 was surpassed. While there were 57 hot days back then, the current year has brought 59 hot days so far. In all other years since measurements began in 1981, the number of hot days in Stabio has remained below 40.
Little rain in July
Summer precipitation totals from June through August remained broadly below the 1991-2020 norm. In individual regions, especially in western Switzerland, less than 60% of the normal amount of rain falls, while the southern side of the Alps and eastern Switzerland require 80% of the norm or more in some areas. In southern Ticino, however, there were also low values of less than 40% of the 1991-2020 norm.
In June, rainfall in Switzerland was between 80% and 120% of the 1991–2020 norm. In some areas there was even 180 to 190% of the norm. Individual measurement locations recorded one of the wettest June months since measurement began.
July brought regions of Switzerland less than 30%, locally less than 10% of the normal amount of rain. In the Geneva region, it was one of the dryest July months since measurements began. In the Vaud Jura, the July with the least precipitation for over 50 years was widely recorded.
Together with the high temperature and the associated high level of evaporation, this region is extremely dry. On the southern side of the Alps, which has had little precipitation for a long time, the July totals were mostly between 40 and 70% of the norm. The Eastern Alps caused 70 to 80%, locally also 90% of the norm 1991-2020.
In August, precipitation levels remained below the 1991–2020 norm in many places. In most parts of the country there were individual measurement sites with less than 50% of the norm. In Scuol in the Lower Engadine, less than 30% of the normal August amount is accumulated. From August 17th to 19th, Switzerland recorded the first rainy season since the beginning of July, which brought precipitation across the country for several days.
Sunshine duration in record range
In several of Switzerland, the summer of 2022 is among the sunniest in the available homogeneous data series. The summer of 2022 is at the top of the list for measuring locations with more than 100 years of homogeneous data series: ranks 1 to 3 are to be expected in Basel and Geneva, and ranks 2 to 4 in Zurich.
Even at measuring locations with homogeneous data from 1959, the summer sunshine duration in 2022 is in the record range. La Chaux-de-Fonds has already reached rank 1. Rank 1 or 2 could be in Altdorf, Lugano, Neuchâtel and Lucerne. In Locarno Monti and St. Gallen, the expectation range is between rank 1 and 4.
In addition to the summer of 2022, the summers of 2018, 2015 and 2003 in particular were recently exceptionally sunny.
Record freezing level
The hot summer of 2022 drove the zero-degree line over Switzerland to a new record of 5184 m, reached on July 25, 2022. In the hot summers of 2015 and 2003, the maximum height of the zero-degree line was not in the range of the ten highest values ever measured. Measurements of the daily height of the zero degree line have been carried out with balloon soundings since 1954.
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