From today, temperatures in Switzerland are set to rise significantly and are not expected to drop for some time. MeteoSuisse has issued an orange heatwave warning for most of the country, with temperatures of between 30 and 35 degrees forecast in low-lying areas until at least 29 June. In Basel, Sion, Geneva and Chur, models suggest peaks of up to 38 degrees. In Basel, the all-time June record of 36.9 degrees could be broken. The record in Bern has stood since 1864, and the one in Zurich since 1959.
What perhaps surprises those of us from southern Europe the most is how the country copes with the heat. In Spain, when it’s 35 degrees, you close the shutters, switch on the air conditioning and carry on with your life. Here, the heat is experienced differently. Most flats and offices don’t have air conditioning. Public transport manages to cope, but the platforms in the big cities at the height of a heatwave are a different story. What there are, however, are well-organised heatwave alerts, and the Badi – those municipal swimming pools that serve as social meeting places – fill up to such an extent that on some days you have to queue.
What is no longer so surprising is that this is happening. This is already the second heatwave of the year, in June, with records that haven’t been broken since the last century. It was in 2003 that Switzerland discovered just how serious the heat could really be. Since then, every summer has been a little more intense than the last. The authorities recommend drinking 1.5 litres a day, avoiding exposure to the sun during the middle of the day, and keeping an eye on the elderly and children. It sounds reasonable. What doesn’t sound so reasonable is having to say this every June, with the figures getting higher and higher.