Weather authorities urge caution ahead of another week of severe heat and dryness
The Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology MeteoSwissExternal link warned that temperatures this week in the Lake Geneva region and the southern canton of Valais would reach 31-35 degrees Celsius (88-95 degrees Fahrenheit).
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/cl
Even the northern Basel region will not be spared, having been assigned a level 3 out of 5 on the danger scale, along with the southern canton of Ticino. The evening hours will offer no respite, with night-time temperatures set to exceed 20 degrees.
A region can be said to be experiencing a heatwave when temperatures reach 30 degrees for at least three consecutive days, according to MeteoNews. The weather service added that the Swiss National Day on August 1, which falls on Wednesday this week, could well be the hottest day of the year.
In many cantons and municipalities, fireworks have been prohibited to varying degrees – in some cases private displays only, and in others, public shows as well. Fireworks will be in shorter supply at any rate: Swiss retailers Coop and Migros announced they would halt sales of the devices at the end of last week.
Swiss army on standby for farms and forest fires
Dryness will continue to accompany the heat in general, with only isolated local storms predicted, according to the weather service of Swiss Public Television, SRF Meteo.
A spokesperson for the Swiss Defence Ministry confirmed on Sunday to the NZZ am Sonntag newspaper that the Swiss Air Force has been called upon by cattle farmers five times since July 20 to intervene in the cantons of St Gallen, Appenzell Inner-Rhodes and Glarus by delivering water to dry pastures via helicopter. Two more deliveries are anticipated in the coming days.
Peter Bruns, a Swiss Air Force colonel, told the SonntagsZeitung that a helicopter is also at the ready in canton Ticino to be deployed at any moment in case it is needed to help extinguish a forest fire. Other fire brigades in canton Graubünden are taking similar precautions by storing water in tanks in dry places.
Macron will attend Swiss summit on Ukraine, says Zelensky
This content was published on
French President Emmanuel Macron will attend the peace conference on Ukraine at the Swiss Bürgenstock resort next month, according to Volodymyr Zelensky.
Top politician tells ‘corrupt’ Eurovision to stay away from Bern
This content was published on
A social media post by the president of Bern’s cantonal government critical of the Eurovision Song Contest has created waves and will be discussed in the cantonal parliament.
Swiss centre records over 200 victims of human trafficking
This content was published on
Last year 317 people took part in a protection programme run by the Specialist Unit for Trafficking in Women and Women’s Migration (FIZ) in German-speaking Switzerland.
This content was published on
The Geneva-based International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and partners are opening a field hospital in southern Gaza on Tuesday.
Lack of smartphone sustainability in Switzerland hits environment
This content was published on
Almost half of all Swiss citizens hang on to their old smartphones, tablets and laptops, according to the Federal Statistical Office.
Police clear out pro-Palestinian students protesting in Geneva
This content was published on
The police intervened early on Tuesday to dislodge pro-Palestinian students who had been occupying the University of Geneva for almost a week.
New gel developed in Zurich renders alcohol harmless
This content was published on
A newly developed gel composed of whey proteins breaks down alcohol in the body and could reduce its harmful and intoxicating effects in humans.
Pro-Palestine protests extend to Basel and Fribourg universities
This content was published on
Demonstrators called for an academic boycott of all Israeli institutions and disassociation with Chaim Weizmann, the first Israeli president.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Swiss summer driest since 1921
This content was published on
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…
Swiss railway field tests white paint to keep tracks from buckling
This content was published on
The Rhaetian Railway in the eastern canton of Graubünden is testing a technique commonly used in Italy to fight the distorting effects of heat on metal.
This content was published on
MeteoSwiss has issued a heat warning for the Italian-speaking region of Ticino, as the country continues to suffer the effects of the heat.
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.