Current Swiss summer has broken many 2003 records

Record-breaking temperatures make 2026 the hottest summer since records began Keystone-SDA

The Swiss summer of 2026 has already broken many of the temperature records set in 2003, the weather service Meteonews announced.

The current summer has so far notched up higher temperatures, more days of extreme heat and more tropical nights in many parts of the country.

The average temperature so far this summer has been around 0.7 degrees Celcius higher than that of the summer of 2003, which had previously been the hottest summer since records began in 1864.

The number of hot days with temperatures above 30 degrees was also higher at most measuring stations. Basel, for example, has recorded 45 hot days so far, compared with 41 in the whole of summer 2003. In Geneva, however, the 2003 record has not yet been reached.

The weather stations in Zurich, Basel and Lucerne also recorded new all-time temperature records. Basel also recorded 17 very hot days above 35 degrees, more than in 2003.

In many places, the number of tropical nights – with minimum temperatures above 20 degrees – was also significantly higher. Lugano has experienced 50 such nights so far, three more than in 2003.

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Translated from German, reviewed by an English Department journalist.