Tuesday will have a summery side in terms of temperature. The thermometer will show 25 degrees and more in many places. In the afternoon, however, cumulus clouds will form over the mountains, which will later spread to the lowlands and bring showers and thunderstorms in some places.
The federal government considers danger level 3 to be possible for western Switzerland, parts of the canton of Bern, the canton of Jura and northwestern Switzerland. This means that there is likely to be severe thunderstorms locally again.
But why do thunderstorms usually come from the west? This is because Switzerland lies directly in the influence of the westerly winds. These winds bring moist air masses from the Atlantic over Europe. When this moist air hits the Alps, it is pushed upwards.
Imagine you are cycling up a hill – you have to use more energy to do this. Similarly, the air is forced to cool down. Clouds form. These clouds become thicker and heavier until they finally discharge in the form of a thunderstorm.
But the Alps are not just a silent obstacle – they act like a gigantic weather kitchen. When the moist air hits the mountains, it is stirred up and intensifies. The result is violent thunderstorms, often accompanied by heavy rain, hail and strong gusts of wind.
Sometimes, however, thunderstorms in Switzerland come from a completely different direction: the south. This happens especially in summer or early autumn, when warm, moist air masses move north from the Mediterranean. These “Mediterranean” thunderstorms are often particularly violent. Why? The air from the south brings a lot of moisture with it – and when this meets the cooler Alpine air, there is often a real bang.
Thunderstorms from the east are rare in Switzerland. This is mainly because Switzerland is geographically located in such a way that the weather conditions from the east are less suitable for causing strong thunderstorms. The air masses that come to us from the east are often rather dry and stable.
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