Meteorologist about the current cold front

There isn’t much sign of real winter in eastern Switzerland yet. In the lowlands and in the mountains, the snow has so far only appeared tentatively. A cold front will bring stormy winds on Wednesday night and a brief visit from the arctic air, but the first big snowfall is still a while away. Joachim Schug, meteorologist at Meteomatics AG in St.Gallen, describes the phenomenon of the cold front that is currently moving over eastern Switzerland.

Have you already installed the winter tires?

Joachim Schug: I don’t have a car anymore since I work in St.Gallen – I come by train from the Zurich Oberland. But basically, Wednesday’s light snow should be seen as a warning shot for people who haven’t yet installed their winter tires. You know how it goes: Many people think they are the best drivers in Switzerland and then, when the first winter conditions arrive, they are arrogant on the road. Especially when it’s going to snow really hard, like from Thursday to Friday, you need to be careful.

So the big snowfall won’t come until Friday. What else can we expect from a weather perspective in the next few days?

We are experiencing the first autumnal storm. There will be a lot of clouds throughout the day, a bit of rain and increasing wind – especially where it can blow through. The cold front will be strongest overnight rather than in the evening. She should arrive in St.Gallen and Thurgau at midnight. On the Säntis I expect hurricane gusts of up to 130 km/h.

What does it look like in the lowlands? Do we have to prepare for wind damage?

There are also gusts in the lowlands, especially in Thurgau. It is important to secure garden furniture or other loose objects in good time. Building insurance companies set their threshold at 75 km/h, and this speed can certainly be exceeded locally.

Back to the snow: where and in what quantities will it fall?

That depends on the region. The snowfall line will drop to around 600 meters on Wednesday night. You will see snowflakes, but that doesn’t automatically mean that the snow will stay in the lower elevations. At elevated altitudes we expect one to four centimeters of snow. However, as I said, the major snowfall will only come from Thursday to Friday if the current is right – it could be between five and twenty centimeters, even in the lowlands.

Can we look forward to a winter wonderland or will it be a short guest appearance?

More likely the latter. It will be really cold, probably around 0 degrees, because arctic air is moving over eastern Switzerland. But by the weekend the winds would turn south-westerly again. On Sunday it could even get up to 15 degrees in the Föhn valleys.

How do you personally cope with the winter weather – are you a winter fan?

Yes, I am a winter lover. I still enjoy skiing, and when there’s real snow in the ski areas, I’m even happier.