Switzerland experiences its mildest winter since records began
The national average temperature from December to February was 0.7°C, the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss, said on Friday.
This content was published on
1 minute
Keystone-SDA/gw
Between 1864 and 1990, the average winter temperature was below 0°C. But in the past 30 years, mild winters have occurred at increasingly shorter intervals, according to MeteoSwiss. A winter with a national average temperature above 0°C has been observed only four times since 1864, when measurements were first recorded.
February was the second mildest on record, with a national average temperature of 1.6°C. The average February temperature between 1981 and 2010 was -2.3°C. In Biasca, canton Ticino, the mercury reached a high of 24.6°C on February 24, a new national record.
The warmer temperatures have affected flora. Spring flowering, for example, occurred earlier, with some species appearing 25 days earlier than average.
February also saw unusually turbulent weather. A few regions recorded as many as 23 days of storms. In the first half of the month, three winter storms hit Switzerland. The strongest, Storm Ciara (Sabine), brought wind gusts of 90 to 120 km per hour on the central plateau, and as much as 200km per hour on the Alpine ridges.
The mild winter continues a trend of warmer weather in Switzerland. The year 2019 was the fifth warmest on record; that same year the summer was the third warmest since 1864.
More
More
2019: fifth hottest year in Switzerland
This content was published on
Switzerland has registered the fifth hottest year since records began in 1864, continuing a trend towards warmer weather which started after 2010.
Students at EPFL in Switzerland join Gaza protest wave
This content was published on
Pro-Palestinian activists occupied a building at the Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) on Tuesday, mirroring a peaceful demonstration at the nearby University of Lausanne (UNIL).
TradeXBank to resume full operations after Sberbank Switzerland taken off sanctions list
This content was published on
TradeXBank, the former Swiss branch of Russia’s Sberbank, will be able to resume its dollar-denominated activities from the second half of this year.
Geneva decides not to remove controversial memorials
This content was published on
The city of Geneva has presented an action plan regarding a series of controversial local statues and monuments of historical figures linked to racism, colonialism or slavery.
University of Lausanne calls for end to pro-Palestine sit-in
This content was published on
The pro-Palestinian occupation continues at the University of Lausanne (UNIL). On Monday evening, a group of students refused to agree to the deadline set by the rectorate.
Ukraine peace conference should include Russia, says Chinese ambassador
This content was published on
China supports a peace conference on the Ukraine war that would see equal participation of all parties, says Chinese Ambassador to Russia Zhang Hanhui.
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
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
Record November snowfall affects ski stations and roads
This content was published on
Heavy snow over the weekend was recorded in the southern and eastern parts of the country. The record for November has been broken.
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.