After the weather in Switzerland went from arctic to tropical to damp in the space of just a few weeks, the latest forecast now expects a return to proper winter conditions. What’s more, Swiss cities and low-altitude areas are expected to see a large helping of snow on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Wind warnings in Switzerland on January 16

On January 16, drivers in Switzerland woke up to frozen windscreens and frost-bitten engines, after the mercury dropped overnight to well below freezing. According to MeteoNews, these freezing temperatures are just the beginning of a truly wintery week.

The chilly conditions were compounded in areas of western Switzerland, where authorities have had to issue level two and level three weather warnings due to high winds. Gusts of up to 130 kilometres an hour are expected between 7am and 6pm on January 16 in western Switzerland, Uri and the Rhine Valley. For more information about what to do in a strong wind, please consult the official website.

The weather on Monday is also set to be very wet, with the exception of east and southeast Switzerland, which is expected to be dry. The snowline is also forecast to fall to between 500 and 700 metres above sea level, just above the altitude of most Swiss cities.

Snow to fall on Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne this week

Then, according to forecasters, the first snow will begin to fall in Zurich, Bern, Lausanne, St. Gallen and Geneva on Tuesday morning, and is expected to continue on and off until Wednesday. Areas in the Swiss mountains are also set to receive heavy snowfall this week - welcome relief for ski resorts that have struggled with the lack of natural snow.

The increased snowfall will be accompanied by extremely chilly temperatures across the lowlands, with the mercury set to hover between five degrees celsius and freezing during the day, and drop below freezing at night. The coldest night is expected on Friday, when temperatures will drop to minus five in Zurich, minus six in Bern and minus eight in St. Gallen.

For those looking to take advantage of the new snowfall, the best time for a day out is, luckily, on the weekend. After five solid days of cloud cover, Saturday is expected to be bright and sunny across most of the alpine nation.