Snowfall is expected in some areas of Switzerland overnight into January 8th. Freezing rain may also develop throughout the day, affecting public transport throughout the country.
Forecasts from the official government weather service, MeteoSchweiz, indicate that snowfall is expected in several regions on Wednesday evening and into Thursday morning.
Meteorologist Peter Wick is forecasting “light snowfall” everywhere in the country on Wednesday evening.
“This will continue into the night. Since the ground is frozen, the snow can already start accumulating on unsalted roads,” he said, adding that just a few centimetres of snow will be enough to create slippery conditions.
“Especially on Thursday evening, there could also be freezing rain in some areas.”
Below-zero temperatures
The coldest areas are currently Dufourspitze in Valais, with a biting -32C, followed by St. Moritz (Graubünden (-20C).
In the lowland, the coldest place right now is Ste. Croix un Jura, (-14C) and -11C in Bern.
And in Geneva, Lausanne, and Basel, temps are between -4 and -7C.
What’s ahead?
On Thursday, only a little snow will fall in the lowlands, according to Wick’s forecast.
On Friday, temperatures will rise to between 4 and 7 C, with the snow line then between 800 and 1200 meters.
It will drop again to lower elevations on Saturday night.
According to Wick, widespread snowfall is expected again from Saturday evening, into Sunday morning.
“By Sunday midday, 10 to 15 centimetres of snow are expected in the Swiss Plateau at altitudes above 500–600 meters,” he said.
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Train disruptions
If you need to take a train during the next few days, expect delays due to the cold weather, even though Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) is taking every possible precaution, according to company spokesperson Carmen Hefti.
The SBB has 7,500 switch heaters across its network.
“They have been running at full capacity for days due to the very cold temperatures – unfortunately, disruptions, such as delays and even cancellations, cannot be ruled out,” she said.
