Swiss October Sizzler: Summer Weather Shatters Records

October has brought an unexpected taste of summer to Switzerland, with warm and sunny weather dominating the forecast. With temperatures reaching a balmy 24 degrees, it seems like autumn has taken a backseat this year, following a record-breaking September. Forecasters are now anticipating that Switzerland will continue to experience summer-like conditions until the weekend, even setting some new October temperature records along the way.

Switzerland is poised to break temperature records on October 9, as the mercury is expected to soar to 27 degrees Celsius in the south of the country and 26 degrees in the north. This comes on the heels of a week of record-breaking weather at the beginning of October when Lucerne saw temperatures of 27 degrees on October 3. In Bern, October 8 marked the latest “summer day” ever recorded in the city, with temperatures exceeding 25 degrees, a record likely to be surpassed on Monday.

Summer-like conditions will prevail across Switzerland for the remainder of the workweek, with temperatures ranging from 23 to 25 degrees between October 9 and 14. Wednesday promises to be the highlight with abundant sunshine forecasted for most of the country, making it an ideal day for a mountain excursion.

While the prolonged summer may be welcomed by those eager for off-season lake swims or barbecues, it is having a significant impact on the natural environment, driven by climate change. Swiss glaciers, for instance, have lost 10% of their volume in just two years, as reported by the Swiss Academy of Sciences. The European Union’s Copernicus Climate Change Service also predicts that 2023 is on track to become the hottest year on record.

The “summer in October” is expected to come to an end this Saturday when scattered showers will sweep across the country. Temperatures in Zurich, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, and Geneva will hover around 20 degrees on October 14 before plummeting to between 11 and 17 degrees on Sunday. The weather will then remain relatively cold and damp in the following week.