Switzerland Climate
Top 5 Cities: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, and Lausanne
This month in numbers
Switzerland experienced its 5th warmest April on record, with an average temperature of 6.79°C, marking a significant anomaly of +3.5°C above the 1961–1990 baseline. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was also exceptionally warm, ranking as the 4th warmest on record with an average of 2.92°C, an anomaly of +3.1°C. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April for land temperatures, and the February–April period also ranked as the 2nd warmest globally.
What changed
The consistent warmth seen in April extends a trend observed throughout the past three months, with each month recording temperatures significantly above average. Switzerland's warming trend is particularly pronounced, with the country warming at approximately twice the global average rate. This accelerated warming is attributed to its landlocked geography, which lacks the moderating effect of oceans, and the topography of the Alps. The latest annual average temperature for 2025 was 7.05°C, making it the 3rd warmest year on record for Switzerland.
What’s driving change?
The significant warming in Switzerland is largely driven by the and the phenomenon, as the country's inland, mountainous location amplifies temperature increases. The current ENSO state is Neutral, with a +0.11°C anomaly in the Niño 3.4 region for February-April 2026. However, forecasts indicate a strong probability of El Niño developing in the coming months, with a 79% chance for June-August 2026 and 87% for July-September 2026 ENSO tracker. This past winter saw an above-average number of avalanche incidents, particularly between January 10th and February 22nd, due to a fragile snowpack caused by large temperature differences and subsequent heavy snowfall. February 2026 was also significantly too mild and wet, ranking as the fifth mildest February since 1864. April 2026 was exceptionally dry, with many locations recording record low precipitation, and some parts of Switzerland experiencing their driest April on record.
Looking ahead
The evolving El Niño phase suggests a potential for warmer and drier conditions in the coming months for Switzerland.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
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Data Sources
Data Sources for Switzerland
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) — see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Switzerland changing?
Switzerland is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The trend rate is shown as °C per decade in the headline panel; you can also see the warmest and coolest years on file.
Where does the climate data for Switzerland come from?
Climate data for Switzerland comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Switzerland climate data cover?
The Switzerland climate profile covers Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Switzerland
How often is the Switzerland climate update refreshed?
The Switzerland climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.