Several heavy downpours swept across Switzerland recently but they have not relieved drought conditions in most parts the country, weather experts say.
“Even though impressive amounts of rain have fallen locally, most regions have only experienced superficial relief,” Switzerland’s official weather service, MeteoSwiss reported on July 20th.
Why is that?
In the Alpine areas, the rain that fell allowed at least a portion of the water to infiltrate the ground effectively, according to MeteoSwiss.
On the Swiss Plateau and in the Jura Mountains, on the other hand, most of the rain was isolated and short-lived.
“Consequently, some of the water ran off the surface instead of infiltrating the deepest layers of the soil.”
What is the current situation?
As the map below indicates, most Swiss regions are suffering from drought.
Brown areas indicate ‘very dry levels, while dark brown signifies ‘extremely’ dry.
Photo: Swiss Confederation.
Therefore, parts of Jura, Vaud, Bern, Eastern Switzerland, as well as the Lake Zurich region, are all extremely drought-ridden.
In fact, Basel has warned its residents against walking and sitting under trees – as people often seek shelter in the shade of trees
In Basel, however, these ‘cooling spots’ are no longer safe, as tree branches – impacted by drought – become brittle and prone to breaking.
Therefore, authorities have posted signs in city parks warning visitors against sitting under large trees.
According to Simon Leuenberger, head of Basel’s parks maintenance department, resting under shady trees is currently not safe due to “the risk of branches breaking and falling down.”
When will this drought end?
“With dry weather forecast for the coming days, the drought persists,” MeteoSwiss said.
Showers and thunderstorms might, however, occur over the weekend, but it’s unclear that they will end the drought.
The situation will only improve sustainably if substantial and consistent rain falls on driest areas, the weather service pointed out.
What are the consequences of this extremely dry spell?
Persistent drought has affected Switzerland’s agriculture and nature in general.
For instance, the water in Swiss lakes, rivers, and dams is at its lowest level in decades:
READ MORE: Swiss rivers and lakes at lowest levels in 20 years
The threat of wildfires is currently very high as well.
‘Very high’ danger levels have been declared in Valais and Central Switzerland, with a ‘high’ risk across Switzerland.
Fire bans are currently in effect Aargau, Appenzell Innerrhiden, Appenzell Ausserrhiden, Basel Country,, Basel-City, Fibourg, Geneva, Graubünden, Jura, Lucerne,, Neuchâtel, Nidwalden, Obwalden, St. Gallen, Shaffhausen,, Solothurn,, Schweiz, Thurgau, Ticinio, Uri, Vaud, Valais, Zug, and Zurich.
