Danger level 3 will apply across the country from Saturday until Wednesday below an altitude of 800 metres. This includes a considerable risk of circulatory problems and physical discomfort for people, MeteoSwissExternal link said on Thursday.
Local temperatures of up to 33°C are expected as early as Friday.
According to private weather service MeteoNewsExternal link, the heatwave is expected to peak on Saturday and towards the middle of next week. It said absolute record values were possible locally and especially at higher altitudes.
Drought and forest fires
MeteoNews expects the zero-degree line – the height at which the temperature goes into the minus – to rise to over 5,100 metres above sea level by Monday night. This could break the previous record of 5,184 metres set on July 25, 2022, in Payerne, canton Vaud.
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Zero-degree line climbs to record level
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On Sunday night the zero-degree line reached 5,184 metres above sea level, a new record.
With the extreme temperatures, glaciers would be even more affected by increased ice melt, it said.
The drought will also worsen, MeteoNews added, as August in particular was too dry, especially in western Switzerland and in parts of the Valais and Ticino. This is reflected, among other things, in the current high risk of forest fires in parts of the Valais and Geneva, it said.
On Thursday the national alert app Alertswiss of the Federal Office for Civil Protection issued a forest fire warning for parts of canton Geneva.
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Swiss army steps up help to contain forest fires
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Forest fires in Switzerland are said to be stable but require extra help from the army to extinguish.
Pro-Palestine uni protests to be debated in Swiss parliament
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The Swiss People’s Party says it will launch two postulates calling for clarifications about the recent student protests and occupations.
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A 36-year-old man from Ticino lost his life on Saturday in Val Malvaglia, in the north of canton Ticino, during a wingsuit jump from a plane.
Swiss Evangelical Reformed Church numbers dropping in French-speaking Switzerland
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As in German-speaking Switzerland, the number of members of the Reformed Church in French-speaking Switzerland is also declining.
Gotthard traffic queue hits 20km during holiday weekend
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The traffic jam at the Gotthard north portal reached a length of 20 kilometres on the motorway between canton Nidwalden and canton Uri.
Swiss Interior Minister visits Cannes Film Festival
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Swiss Interior Minister left the Cannes Film Festival on Saturday after three days of intensive dialogue, meetings and film screenings.
Swiss theatre director breaks with tradition at Vienna’s Rathausplatz
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With the proclamation of the "Free Republic of Vienna", the start of the festival on Friday evening was unusually political.
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Swiss forest fire dies down, but further flare-ups can’t be ruled out
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Large fires which broke out three weeks ago in southern Switzerland have stabilised enough to allow a return to normality, authorities have said.
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