Freeze frames: when Siberia comes to Switzerland
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Amden, eastern Switzerland Keystone -
Amden, eastern Switzerland Keystone -
Romanshorn on Lake Constance Keystone -
The subs for FC Lugano try to keep warm against FC St Gallen Keystone -
Romanshorn on Lake Constance Keystone -
Amden, eastern Switzerland Keystone -
Lake Geneva Keystone -
An iced sculpture in Fribourg Keystone -
Kandersteg in the Bernese Oberland Keystone -
Lake Geneva Keystone
A Siberian freeze has descended over Switzerland since Monday and is forecast to stay until Wednesday, with temperatures in the lowlands reaching -16 degrees Celsius (3.2 degrees Fahrenheit). A powerful wind means the “real feel” temperature is even lower.
- Deutsch Kältewelle - und alles steht still
- Español Noche siberiana en Suiza con hasta 38 grados bajo cero
- Português Temperaturas abaixo de zero
- 中文 瑞士少见却不罕见的寒冬
- عربي موجة صقيع تجتاح سويسرا
- Pусский Сибирские морозы в Швейцарии
- 日本語 スイスにシベリア襲来
The mercury will barely rise above -5 degrees over the next few days. At 2,000 metres above sea level the temperatures are expected to be around -17 degrees.
The cold spell is unusual but not extraordinary. It’s caused by a cold front coming from Siberia, which this year has reached Switzerland. A similar situation occurred in 2005.
On the Corvatsch mountain near St Moritz in eastern Switzerland, the thermometer fell to -30.9 degrees, according to MeteonewsExternal link. The chilliest place on Monday night was on the Glattalp in canton Schwyz, which recorded -38 degrees. Given the exposed location, such low temperatures are seen – and felt – every three to five years.
And nature has left behind some spectacular ice sculptures in the French-speaking region of Switzerland:
(All images: Keystone; text: swissinfo.ch/SDA-ATS)
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