With conditions finally feeling a lot more like winter, the weather in Switzerland is forecast to give people in some Swiss cities their first festive treat. For the residents of Zurich and Bern, the cold front on November 24 is expected to bring with it the first few fleeting flakes of snow.
According to MeteoNews, after what is expected to be a calm and sunny day across Swiss cantons on Thursday, a new cold front of air is forecast to arrive in the alpine nation on Friday. This front is expected to bring with it heavy snowfall, especially in the mountains.
Speaking to 20 Minuten, meteorologist Michael Eichmann said that Friday morning and the afternoon will be “cold and wet” for most across the country, with the snow line falling to 1.000 metres above sea level. “But on Friday evening it drops to 600 from 800 meters, and then it gets really exciting”, he added.
The forecast means that lower-lying cities like Zurich, Bern, Lucerne and St. Gallen will likely be treated to some snow on Friday night and maybe on Saturday morning. While only a dusting, it is set to be the first snow of the season for many urban areas of Switzerland.
However, those hoping for a snowball fight are set to be a little disappointed, as Eichmann predicts the snowfall in Zurich on November 24 to be “wet snow, which will quickly disappear again" due to temperatures in the Mittelland. Despite the frigid wind expected to blow through on Friday and the weekend, temperatures in low-altitude areas are expected to remain between two and five degrees Celsius.
Nevertheless, the forecast is excellent news for Swiss ski resorts, with the snowline expected to remain at 600 metres for the foreseeable future. “In the Alps, 30 to 60 centimetres are likely to fall over the period from Friday to Monday, from the Bernese Oberland across the Central Swiss Alps and into the Glarus Alps there will also be 80 to 100 centimetres or locally a little more…you can assume there is a solid snow cover,” Eichmann noted.
Looking to the future, there could be more good news on the horizon for snow lovers, with Eichmann confirming that in the long-term forecast, “Some weather models assume that it will get colder again in the second half of [next] week.” 20 Minuten even raised the prospect that the entire country may be treated to a white December 1.