The Swiss voice in the world since 1935

Forest fires in Canada cause cloudy visibility in Swiss mountains

Forest fires in Canada cause cloudy visibility in Swiss mountains
Forest fires in Canada cause cloudy visibility in Swiss mountains Keystone-SDA

Despite the sunshine, the air in the Swiss mountains is not completely clear. The reason for this is the smoke from the forest fires in Canada, which has now reached Europe.

+Get the most important news from Switzerland in your inbox

On the Jungfraujoch in the Bernese Alps, the concentration of particulate matter is slightly above the limit value at 57 micrograms per cubic metre, as reported by the Meteonews Switzerland weather service on X on Monday.

The increased aerosol content can also be seen on satellite images, announced MeteoSwiss. A slight clouding of visibility was also recorded on the Gemsstock in the canton of Uri.

According to Canada’s national forest fire report, at times there were well over a hundred fires. Exceptional dryness and wind triggered the fires and caused them to spread. By the end of May, more than 17,000 people had been evacuated.

Translated from German by DeepL/jdp

We select the most relevant news for an international audience and use automatic translation tools to translate them into English. A journalist then reviews the translation for clarity and accuracy before publication. 

Providing you with automatically translated news gives us the time to write more in-depth articles. The news stories we select have been written and carefully fact-checked by an external editorial team from news agencies such as Bloomberg or Keystone.

If you have any questions about how we work, write to us at english@swissinfo.ch

Popular Stories

Most Discussed

News

TX Group discontinues print version of "20 Minuten"

More

20 Minuten: last Swiss free daily to stop being printed

This content was published on From the end of the year, there will no longer be a daily free newspaper in Switzerland: the TX Group is discontinuing the print version of "20 Minuten". Up to 80 full-time positions are to be cut in the editorial and publishing departments.

Read more: 20 Minuten: last Swiss free daily to stop being printed
Irregular migration halved compared to the previous year

More

Irregular migration to Switzerland halves year-on-year

This content was published on Irregular migration to Switzerland has decreased significantly. The figures from January to May show that only half as many illegal stays were recorded compared to the same period last year.

Read more: Irregular migration to Switzerland halves year-on-year
UNHCR to cut around 3,500 jobs worldwide

More

UNHCR to cut around 3,500 jobs worldwide

This content was published on The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is to cut around 3,500 jobs as a result of financial cuts linked in particular to US decisions. Hundreds of temporary contracts will also be cut, the UN agency said in Geneva on Monday.

Read more: UNHCR to cut around 3,500 jobs worldwide
One in four people in Switzerland is frequently stressed

More

Quarter of Swiss frequently stressed

This content was published on One in four people in Switzerland feels stressed often or almost always. Among the under-30s, the figure is as high as 40%.

Read more: Quarter of Swiss frequently stressed
The permafrost in Switzerland has thawed further

More

Permafrost in Switzerland continues to thaw

This content was published on The permafrost in the Swiss Alps is thawing faster and faster. The thawed top layers of permafrost have never been as thick as they were last year. This is shown by the latest data from the Swiss permafrost monitoring network Permos.

Read more: Permafrost in Switzerland continues to thaw

In compliance with the JTI standards

More: SWI swissinfo.ch certified by the Journalism Trust Initiative

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.

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR

SWI swissinfo.ch - a branch of Swiss Broadcasting Corporation SRG SSR