Swiss heatwave breaks records as River Aare warms

Nineteen heat records broken, 39 degrees in Basel Keystone-SDA

Temperatures rose again across Switzerland on Saturday, with 19 weather stations recording new all-time highs. The River Aare has also reached a new record temperature, narrowly surpassing its August 2022 level.

The sharpest rises were seen in the municipality of Binningen, in canton Basel Country which hit 39°C, as well as in Delémont (38.2°C) and Neuchâtel (38.1°C). Beznau in Aargau also reached 39°C.

Visp (in canton Valais), Fahy (in canton Jura) and Chaumont (in canton Neuchâtel) also set new highs, recording 36.8°C, 36.7°C and 31.6°C respectively.

In canton Zurich, three monitoring stations broke previous records: Kloten (37.8°C), Affoltern and Fluntern (both 37.1°C).

+ Should Switzerland prepare for a severe drought this summer?External link

The 39°C recorded in Beznau and Basel set a new national June heat record. The record has been broken for the third consecutive day.

Several other stations also broke their June heat records. Payerne (in canton Vaud) reached 38.1°C, Geneva 37.4°C, Sion 36.8°C, Zollikofen (in canton Bern) 36.1°C and Lucerne 36°C.

The highest temperature ever recorded in Switzerland is 41.5°C, measured in Grono (in canton Graubünden) on August 11, 2003, and that record still stands.

+ What spring temperatures in Switzerland reveal about the climate

In an interview published on Saturday afternoon in Tamedia’s German-language newspapers, Swiss meteorologist Jörg Kachelmann said temperatures of up to 45°C are now possible in Switzerland.

“Statistics clearly show that climate change is driving more frequent and more intense heatwaves. The temperature trend is steadily rising. This is neither surprising nor unexpected. We have long known this would happen,” Kachelmann said.

+ Five numbers show how the climate is changing in SwitzerlandExternal link

A cold front is expected to bring the heatwave to an end on Monday, according to forecasts.

Several swimming accidents

The River Aare has also reached record temperatures. At the Bern-Schönau monitoring station, a reading of 24.1°C was recorded, according to data published online by the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN).

The August 2022 record was broken by the narrowest margin, with 24.13°C recorded on Saturday compared with 24.12°C in 2022. In recent days, the Aare’s temperature had already climbed above 23°C.

While many people sought relief in rivers and lakes, several swimming accidents were reported. In the Rhine at Basel, a 61-year-old man died on Saturday morning while swimming. He got into difficulty due to health problems and was brought ashore by companions, but collapsed and died despite attempts to revive him.

In canton Aargau, several incidents were also reported in the Reuss and the Rhine, including one fatality in the River Rhine. The search was still under way at midday on Saturday for a man reported missing in the Reuss. Another person was rescued from the Rhine at the last minute, Aargau cantonal police said on Saturday morning.

Join the debate:

Translated from French, sub-edited by sp