Switzerland Climate
Top 5 Cities: Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Bern, Lausanne, and Liechtenstein
This month in numbers
Switzerland experienced a significantly warm April, with the average temperature reaching 6.79°C, an anomaly of +3.5°C compared to the 1961–1990 baseline. This ranks as the 5th warmest April in 86 years of records. The three-month period from February to April 2026 was also notably warm, with an average temperature of 2.92°C, an anomaly of +3.1°C, making it the 4th warmest such period on record. Globally, April 2026 was the 2nd warmest April on record for land temperatures, with a global land temperature of 14.96°C, an anomaly of +1.1°C.
What changed
The consistent warmth seen in April extends a trend observed throughout the past three months, placing Switzerland at the 41st warmest globally for this period. Within Europe, Switzerland recorded the highest 1-month anomaly, at +3.55°C, making it 1.07°C warmer than the European group average. The country's 2025 annual average temperature of 7.05°C was the 3rd warmest in 85 years of records, continuing a long-term warming trend of +2.21°C against the 1961–1990 baseline.
What’s driving change?
The significantly warmer temperatures in Switzerland are consistent with the broader pattern of , where land regions tend to heat up more rapidly. Additionally, Switzerland experienced an exceptionally dry April, with some regions recording less than 20% of average precipitation, and the national weather service, MeteoSwiss, warned of an ongoing drought. This can further exacerbate warming, as the lack of moisture limits evaporative cooling.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasts suggest a continued trend of above-average temperatures in the coming months.
Sources:
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
Loading climate data...
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.