Unless you have bern living in an igloo, you know that Switzerland has been in the throes of an oppressive heatwave. And its effects can be significant.
Switzerland’s residents – like their European counterparts – have been baking in temperatures exceeding 30C for the past week.
And relief is not in sight: according to forecasts, until the end of June, the country could experience one of its longest stretches of intense heat since records began more than 100 years ago. The mercury could rise beyond 36C in parts of the country this weekend.
What effect is this extreme weather having on humans?
The government has issued warnings about how all residents – and especially the elderly – should protect themselves against the risk of heat strokes.
They include some common-sense ones like “drink plenty of fluids” and “seek out cool places,” but also lesser-known tips such as “avoid alcohol” and “adjust medication dosage.”
Cities and cantons, including Zurich, Geneva, and Vaud, among others, are also activating their ‘heatwave alerts’, cautioning the population to follow the advice of the federal government (as above) and offering individual support services to those most vulnerable to heat-induced conditions.
Schools are suffering
The Union of Teachers in French-speaking Switzerland (SER) said the issue of extreme heat “requires a coordinated response at national level”.
The authorities must “plan ahead more effectively and develop proper action plans”, David Rey, the SER’s president, told news agency Keystone-SDA.
Rey said that periods of intense heat have a direct impact on teaching conditions and that the options available are limited when temperatures rise.
The union wants school facilities to be adapted, in particular with external awnings, the greening of schoolyards and adequate ventilation inside buildings.
What about the infrastructure?
Some sections of motorways are not holding up to the heat.
The A13 motorway, for instance, which runs from St. Margrethen in northeastern Switzerland to Ascona is the south, is particularly susceptible to heat damage because it was built using older methods.
It was constructed (as many other roads were in years past) on concrete slabs that can expand in high temperatures, leading to cracks.
“National roads are generally equipped with modern surfaces that cope well with this heat,” according to Jérôme Jacky, a spokesperson for the Federal Roads Office.
Those more susceptible to damage are driven daily by experts from the national road maintenance department and the cantonal police to inspect for – and repair – any heat-related damage.
No major traffic jams have formed to date because of road damage.
Railway tracks are vulnerable as well
The steel from which the tracks are made can heat up to over 50C and deform.
Extreme temperatures can also cause sudden buckling – a lateral movement of more than 50 millimeters in a rail.
When this damage occurs, the affected section of track is cooled with water. The SBB also has a special firefighting train specifically for this purpose.
There are also ways to prevent buckling in the first place: The ‘sleepers’ on which the rails rest can be connected in pairs, which makes the entire track stiffer.
With this method, weak points can be bridged and buckling prevented.
So far, there have not been any disruptions in train travel due specifically to heat damage, the SBB said.
READ MORE: Why the extreme heat is wreaking havoc on Europe’s trains
