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National weather services say a white Christmas in Switzerland’s central Plateau region is unlikely this year.
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At the end of the week, the website of the Federal Office for Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) said there were signs of a westerly-dominated current bringing mild Atlantic air to Europe.
According to weather forecasts, there are therefore “signs of excessively mild temperatures in the days leading up to Christmas” in large parts of Europe, it said.
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The weather service Meteonews expects the same, it said on Friday. It is certain that after a milder and often sunny phase, especially in the mountains, it will be cooler from December 20, with north-westerly to westerly winds, especially at higher altitudes. However, it is “absolutely unclear” exactly how the weather will develop before and during Christmas.
Little hope
Some weather models expect a high-altitude trough to pass over Switzerland shortly before Christmas, followed by a northerly situation during Christmas, which could cause the snow line to fall to low altitudes. However, it is more likely that it will not be cold enough for snowfall at low altitudes.
According to Meteonews, there is still a small hope for a White Christmas at low altitudes due to the long forecast period.
In the central and eastern Plateau region, there was no snow for 60% of the previous Christmas periods since 1931, according to MeteoSwiss. In western Switzerland and the lowlands on the southern side of the Alps, this was the case for 75% and 80% of Christmases, respectively.
Translated from German by DeepL/sb
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