Children hoping for a white Christmas in Switzerland in 2022 are set to be disappointed: the latest forecast by MeteoNews has revealed that the arctic temperatures that swept the country last week are not set to last for long. Christmas in Switzerland is now expected to be toasty thanks to a “mini spring”.
According to Roger Perret, meteorologist for MeteoNews, the prospect of snow in Swiss cities at Christmas is now off the table: "Snow over the holidays is impossible at lower elevations this year," he noted, explaining that in some areas of the country, spring is set to come early as temperatures shoot up to around 14 degrees celsius.
It was previously all going to plan, with the alpine nation having recently experienced its coldest night of the year. Heavy snow in the mountains was also a good sign, with many resorts seeing up to half a metre of snowfall overnight last week.
However, Perret noted that the weather pattern that is producing the cold temperatures - an area of cold air over Iceland interacting with warm air over the Azores - has now subsided. People in Switzerland should expect far warmer temperatures as the week progresses, with Tuesday and Wednesday set to be the last “cold days” for a while.
Perret warned that a “green Christmas” of warm temperatures should be expected in all low-lying areas. What’s more, the meteorologist warned that some ski resorts “will probably have problems if the rain melts and washes away the slopes," as temperatures reach double digits. The snowline is also expected to rise to 2.000 metres above sea level by Christmas Eve, meaning many resorts like Flumserberg, Davos and St. Moritz will start to see their snow melt.
On Christmas Day, the weather is expected to be partly cloudy with temperatures of between five and 11 degrees across the country. While it is disappointing, Perret concluded that a white Christmas has not been the norm in Swiss cities for years. Now it’s just a case of crossing our fingers and toes, hoping that winter in 2023 will gift us snow during the holidays.