Swiss heatwaves getting more extreme

Heatwaves are getting hotter and hotter - temperature extremes are increasing Keystone-SDA

Temperatures in Switzerland have risen at a faster pace in the last 50 years, with heatwaves warming significantly more than the average temperature, according to MeteoSwiss.

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Since 1971, the average annual temperature in Switzerland has risen by 2.6 degrees, according to a press release issued by the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) on Thursday. This is a clear sign of man-made climate change.

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The increase in extreme temperatures is particularly striking. Currently, the hottest day of the year is on average 3.4 degrees warmer than just over 50 years ago.

For example, the highest daily maximum in Basel/Binningen today is 35.8 degrees, whereas in 1971 it was only 32.2 degrees. The hottest three to seven-day periods of a year were even 3.8 degrees warmer on average across the country.

Even particularly cold days are much less frosty today than they were a few decades ago. Since 1971, the coldest day of the year has warmed by an average of 2.8 degrees.

In Basel/Binningen, the lowest daily minimum today is -9.5 degrees, compared to -12.4 degrees in 1971. The coldest 3 to 7-day periods of a year are now 2.9 degrees warmer on average across the country than back then.

Translated from German by DeepL/mga

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