White Christmases are rare in Switzerland, at least in the plains.Image: KEYSTONE
This year, it won't snow on December 25. However, the snow that fell Monday and Tuesday could last until the next day, at least under certain conditions. As the figures from MétéoSwiss show, a green Christmas would be anything but exceptional.
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The snow that fell from Sunday evening on part of Switzerland rekindled the hope of a snowy Christmas, a phenomenon that has become rare in recent years, at least in the plains. Will this time be the right one?
“The rain will stop from Tuesday noon. Already this Monday, most of the snow fell in the mountains or in regions located above 600-700 meters,” indicates Marianne Giroud-Gaillard, forecaster at MétéoSuisse. And to add:
“Then the question is whether the temperatures will allow the snow to hold until Wednesday morning”
Marianne Giroud-Gaillard, MeteoSwiss
The answer depends on the location. This could be possible above 500 metersdetails Marianne Giroud-Gaillard, who provides the example of the Valais capital. “In Sion, the temperature should not exceed four degrees this Tuesday, and there will not be much sunshine. The snow should last until Christmas,” she says.
Beyond Valais, Christmas could be white in the Ajoie region and in Delémont, as well as in Fribourg. Sometimes the situation can change within the same municipality. This is the case of Lausanne, where the altitude varies greatly depending on the district. “On the heights of the city, the temperature will not rise above three degrees this Tuesday,” says the forecaster. “The snow that has fallen so far is therefore unlikely to melt.”
On the other hand, you should not expect to see them on the banks of Lake Geneva or around Lake Neuchâtel. Not to mention Geneva, where it was already raining this Monday morning.
A trend that cannot be changed
Although some regions may have snow at Christmas, the general trend is clear, believes Marianne Giroud-Gaillard:
“As the climate warms, the likelihood of having white Christmases is decreasing. This becomes quite exceptional”
Marianne Giroud-Gaillard, MeteoSwiss
And the specialist points out that the snow limit has risen by 500 meters on average in the Swiss Alps. “It’s a trend that we cannot change, at least in the medium term,” she notes.
Some measuring stations clearly show that Christmases without snow are becoming more and more frequent. This is the case of Einsiedeln, a Schwyz commune located at an altitude of around 900 meters, where green Christmases have been accumulating for around ten years. “Here, climate change is clearly perceptible,” comments MeteoSwiss on its website.
Yet for much of the country, snowless festivities are more the norm than the exception. At this time of year, the Swiss Plateau is rarely covered in snow, indicates MeteoSwiss. And this has always been the case.
“Contrary to the popular romantic idea of white Christmases, Christmas on the Swiss Plateau is more often green than white”
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In Bern, for example, the last snowy Christmas was in 2014. In Lugano, it goes back to 2012, while in Neuchâtel and Zurich, it has not snowed at Christmas since 2010.
Since measurements began in 1931, the Central and Eastern Plateau has not been snow-covered during Christmas days in 60% of the years, indicates MeteoSwiss. In the west and north-west of Switzerland, this percentage even rises to 75%.
The situation is therefore not new, nor are the reactions it provokes. More than a century ago, we already deplored the absence of snow at low altitudes during the Holidays. In 1914, a note from the Lucerne weather station stated:
“For several years, real winter cold and snow have almost disappeared from the calendar in December. No Christmas poem talking about cold, snow or ice could be more appropriate. I still heard someone say: 'Today we're celebrating Christmas outside. The tree is lit and we're singing and reciting our poems in the garden.'
