The town of Sion in southwestern Switzerland registered 36.2°C (97.2°Fahrenheit) on Sunday, according to the local weather station.
The record for Sion is 37.8°C. And in 2003, temperatures rose to 41.5°C in southeastern Switzerland and 39.7°C in Geneva in 2015.
Meteonews expects afternoon temperatures above 35°C and at least 20°C at night in lower-lying regions until Wednesday. The heatwave is expected to abate by next weekend, giving way to more usual summer temperatures of around 25°C.
The dry and hot weather spell has reduced small rivers and creeks to rivulets. In some regions, rangers have begun to resettle the local fish population to ensure its survival.
The heat wave pushed the water temperature in parts of the Rhine river above 27 degrees Celsius (80.6 degrees Fahrenheit), killing thousands of fish and forcing trout and grayling to try to find cooler waters.
Fishery authorities in three cantons along the river said that despite measures to add cool water, about one tonne of dead fish had so far been collected; the equivalent of about a quarter to a third of the annual catch volume.
Switzerland’s main farmers group has also called for government help, notably reducing taxes on hay imports as many farmers have been forced to use their winter stock of silage due to the dry pastures.
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Swiss farmers appeal for help against the heat
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Farmers want the government to introduce emergency measures to offset the problems for agricultural production caused by the ongoing heatwave.
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As the dry weather continues, Swiss army helicopters have been bringing emergency water supplies to cattle farmers in high mountain pastures.
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Heavy rain and flooding interrupted the long-running hot and dry spell in some parts of Switzerland, but the drought continues.
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MeteoSwiss has issued a heat warning for the Italian-speaking region of Ticino, as the country continues to suffer the effects of the heat.
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While the years 2003 and 2015 were also parched, the dry spell this year started earlier, stretching back into the Spring. There has not been so little rainfall between the start of April to the middle of July for nearly 100 years, reports Swiss public television SRF. Several cantons have banned open fires – a…
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