Summer finally set to arrive in Switzerland with temperatures of 29C+ forecast

After weeks of heavy rain, flooding and chilly temperatures, there are finally signs that the weather in Switzerland has remembered that we are in June, not January. Temperatures across Swiss cities and cantons are forecast to soar at the beginning of this week, peaking at 30 degrees celsius.

Summer (briefly) arrives in Switzerland

According to MeteoNews, while people in Switzerland won’t have constant-bright sunshine to look forward to at the beginning of the week, conditions will finally start to warm. On Monday, temperatures are expected to reach 25 degrees by midday, though heavy thunderstorms are set to characterise the weather in the Swiss mountains and Canton Jura. Elsewhere, scattered clouds and lighter storms will be common.

Then, summer is (briefly) set to get into full swing, with temperatures of 29 degrees forecast north of the Alps, alongside lots of sunshine and little cloud. In places like Zurich and Basel, the mercury could rise to 30! "The first hot days are in the air," MeteoNews noted, adding that the emergence of warm air from the south could also spell the arrival of Saharan dust.

While it won’t be as warm as June 18, Wednesday is also set to be very warm, with temperatures peaking around 28 to 29 degrees. In what will be bad news for the newly, blanketed glaciers, the super-hot air mass over Switzerland will mean zero-degree temperatures could be recorded as high as 4.500 metres above sea level.

Cooler conditions are forecast by the end of the week

However, those gunning for their swimming costume and heading towards the lake for their first dip of the year better be quick. Starting on Wednesday, the weather is expected to be very changeable for the remainder of the week. Scattered rain and thunderstorms and temperatures of around 25 and 26 degrees will be the norm across Switzerland, with storms set to peak on Friday.

For the weekend, while still uncertain, rainfall is possible on both Saturday and Sunday. Temperatures should be between 19 and 23 degrees.

What will the weather in Switzerland be like this summer?

While residents of Switzerland may be disappointed with the summer weather so far, the "Summer Oracle" long-term forecast from MeteoNews offers some reasons to be optimistic. Forecaster Fred Decker wrote back in May that while June will be too wet and warm, July is expected to be drier and hotter - though super long-term forecasts like these are infamously unreliable. Largely thanks to climate change, he concluded that Switzerland also faces a heightened risk of heatwaves in the coming months.