Drought conditions in Switzerland persist despite rainfall

The autumn rains that fell up until the weekend have only temporarily alleviated the drought, which remains severe in Switzerland. The situation remains tense, according to MeteoSwiss.

After a long spell of mild weather with summer-like temperatures, the northern Alps experienced several wet autumnal days from Thursday onwards. These days unfolded “almost as if from a meteorology textbook”, wrote the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) on its blog on Friday.

Between 20 and 40 millimetres of rainfall were recorded north of the Alps. However, a significant proportion of this water evaporated or ran off due to the dry ground.

In many parts of the country, the rainfall deficit persists. “Over the last 30 days, rainfall amounts have averaged less than 50% of the long-term average,” a MeteoSwiss spokesperson told news agency Keystone-SDA on Sunday. In some places, they reached only 15 to 35% of the normal level.

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In the Jura and on the Swiss Plateau, rivers and lakes are still at particularly low levels. Many monitoring stations are recording flow rates so low that, statistically, they occur only once every 10 to 30 years. Historically low levels have even been recorded on the Upper Rhine.

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The drought is also having an impact on the risk of forest fires. On the map produced by the Federal Office of the Environment (FOEN), a band indicating a significant risk stretches from cantons Valais to St Gallen. In some parts of Upper Valais, the risk is even classified as “very high”.

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The situation is unlikely to change much in the medium term. A few drops of rain are expected locally next week, but days are likely to remain generally dry, according to MeteoSwiss. Maximum temperatures of up to 19C are forecast for German-speaking and French-speaking Switzerland.

In the longer term, however, the situation could ease. Over a 90-day period, the rainfall deficit is expected to begin to decrease slowly following a slight increase next week, according to the drought bulletin.

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Translated from French/reviewed by an English Department journalist.