Crazy winter weather defies logic in Switzerland

Saharan skies were just one strange weather phenomenon seen in Switzerland this winter. Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

The Swiss winter brought wild fluctuations in temperature, unseasonal rainfalls, abundant snow brought on cold fronts from Siberia and even a helping of Saharan sand.

In general, temperatures were two degrees Celsius higher than the average measured between 1961 and 1990, the Swiss meteorological office reported at the official end of winter on Sunday.

In some parts of Switzerland, temperatures fluctuated by more than 30 degrees in the space of a week as cold snaps were followed by warm spells.

Unlike neighbouring countries, Swiss ski resorts stayed open despite the pandemic, and they benefitted from large dumps of snow – measuring up to 75 centimetres in 24 hours. This was in contrast to the dearth of snow in the previous winter, which remains the warmest on record.

In February, the skies were bathed in an eerie hue of orange as sand particles were blown in from the Sahara.

And if that wasn’t enough, some parts of Switzerland endured much higher bouts of rainfall for the time of year.