July 2026 was the hottest month ever recorded in Switzerland. Will temperatures drop in August?
The answer to this question, according to the MeteoSwiss weather service, is that the heatwave will indeed subside this month, but it will happen slowly and gradually rather than abruptly from one day to another.
Most of August will, however, remain hot with alternating periods of sunshine and localised thunderstorms.
The good news is that temperatures this month are not expected to exceed 30C, as was the case in much of June and July.
“It’s still going to be hot, above the usual seasonal norms,” MeteoSwiss said, “but we will see a bit more rainfall as well.”
READ ALSO: Where are the worst parts of Switzerland to be in heatwaves?
Looking at the medium-term MeteoSwiss forecast, maximum temperatures across the country will hover around the 30C threshold over the next week, with temperatures moderating from Tuesday 4th August onward.
The eight day forecast in Switzerland. Photo: MeteoSwiss.
Does this mean that the drought might be finishing at last?
Weather experts are not optimistic that showers will be long enough to alleviate the drought.
“For that, we would need at least one more extended period of rainfall, ideally several consecutive days of light rain, so that the soil slowly absorbs the water. If the showers are too short and intense, the water struggles to infiltrate the soil, resulting in significant surface runoff.”
What about the risk of wildfires?
It too depends on how much rain Switzerland will actually get to relieve the drought as the two are closely interconnected.
Right now, the risk of forest fires is ‘high’ in almost all regions of Switzerland, with a ‘very high’ alert declared in the cantons of Geneva, Zurich, Valais, Graubünden, and Jura.
READ MORE: How to keep your cool during Switzerland’s heatwaves
