Winter 2025/26 among 10 mildest winters in Switzerland

As winter draws to a close in Switzerland, many will be left wondering if there was really a winter at all. While we had some snow and colder weather, winter 2025/26 was noticeably warmer and drier than usual. Meteorologists have said that it’s among the 10 mildest winters in recent times.

Winter 2025/26 in Switzerland warmer than usual

With spring just around the corner, Meteo News has revealed that winter 2025/26 was approximately 1,4 degrees celsius too warm compared to the norm.  

The most recent winter also made it into Switzerland’s top 10 mildest winters since 1864, ranking eighth place. Winters that reached the top five warmest had a temperature deviation of more than 2 degrees.

Swiss winters are generally getting warmer, so much so that they are now 3,2 degrees warmer, on average, than the reference period 1871 to 1900. 

Interestingly, January 2026 was a particularly cold month this winter. Average temperatures between January 3 and 7 were around 5 to 9 degrees lower than during a similar period over the past 20 years.

Spring arrives early in 2026

Those wanting to ski, snowboard or snowshoe may have been disappointed this winter season. There was almost 27 percent less rain (and therefore snow) than there usually is, especially in December and January. 

February, in comparison, had significantly more rain than normal, resulting in a rare level five avalanche warning being issued in the Swiss mountains. 

Not only has winter been slightly out of the ordinary this year, but spring’s early arrival came with some unusually high temperatures. Parts of Switzerland reached 23 degrees in late February. Such prolonged warm temperatures at this time of year “has never occurred so early in the year since records began 160 years ago”, reports Watson.