The climate future for Switzerland is taking shape

Switzerland is set to become drier, hotter, and less snowy, while facing more intense rainfall in the future — these are the key findings of the CH2018 Climate Scenarios.

With the “Climate Scenarios Switzerland,” researchers outline what the country must prepare for. Climate change is set to take a serious toll on Switzerland.

Extreme rainfall will intensify

“Compared to the last report, we now have seven additional years of observational data,” explains Christoph Raible. The current climate scenarios confirm previously known trends, indicating that we must prepare for, among other things, more heat days, drier summers, and winters with less snow. By 2060, rainfall on the wettest day of the year is projected to increase by 10 percent compared to today.

Dry spells will last longer

The longest summer dry period will be up to around one week longer by mid-century. Extreme drought, which previously occurred once or twice per decade, could on average occur every other year.

Heat stress like 2018 will soon be the norm

The summer of 2018 brought heat stress for both people and animals. By mid-century, summers in an average year could be up to 4.5 degrees warmer than today. The number of extremely hot days could rise from around one day per summer today to as many as 18.

Bad news for glaciers

Lower snowfall also means less nourishment for glaciers and faster melting. Since 1850, the Alpine glaciers have already lost around 60 percent of their volume.

“With consistent climate protection, around half of the possible climate changes in Switzerland could be avoided by mid-21st century, and two thirds by the end of the century,” said climate researcher Reto Knutti. More on Environment and Nature Conservation.