The average March temperature across the country was 1.4 °C above the 1991-2020 norm. In some Alpine valleys, March rose more than 2 °C above the norm, for example in Andermatt or in Samedan in the Upper Engadine. At these two measuring locations, it was one of the mildest March months since measurements began in 1864.
March 2023 was the sixth month in a row with above-average temperatures. The last time temperatures were slightly below average was September 2022.
Line graph showing March temperatures in Switzerland
Fig. 1: The March temperature in Switzerland since measurements began in 1864. The red dot shows the current March (2.7 °C). The green dashed line shows the 1991−2020 norm (1.3 °C), the red line the 20-year moving average.
sun and high fog
The first days of March were sunny on the southern side of the Alps and in the Alps. North of the Alps there was often a thick layer of high fog. With a bise wind, the average daily temperature remained 1.5 to 3, locally 3 to 4 °C below the 1991-2020 norm. In the sunny south, however, the daily maximum temperatures rose 1.5 to 3 °C above the norm in some areas.
Variable with snow down to low altitudes
From March 6th, the weather changed to low pressure. From March 8th to March 14th, there was widespread precipitation in Switzerland. In the mountains, from March 10th to March 12th, there was 40 to 80 cm peru phone number library of fresh snow in some areas, and up to 100 cm locally. On March 11th, the Ajoie and parts of the German-speaking Swiss Mittelland woke up under a few centimeters of snow, while on the southern side of the Alps the north foehn drove the daily maximum temperatures to 20 °C.
From winter to early summer in two days
But two days later, the daily maximum temperatures north of the Alps also rose to early summer levels. A southwesterly flow brought warm air to Switzerland ahead of a cold front. Around a dozen measuring stations customer successes campaign set heat records for the first half of March. Basel-Binningen reported 23.4 °C. The previous record from March 4, 1998 was 22.5 °C. In Geneva, the thermometer rose to 21.2 °C, 1 °C above the previous record from March 11, 2003. At both measuring stations, the homogeneous daily maximum temperatures date back to the 19th century.
Another early summer element was the thunderstorms with awb directory strong gusts of wind that evening in western and northwestern Switzerland. In Delémont they reached 125 km/h, in Cressier 120 km/h and in Grenchen 113 km/h.
Mild and sunny after fresh snow
From March 14th to 15th, a strong northwesterly current brought another load of fresh snow to the mountains. In some areas, up to 25 cm fell. In the sunny south, meanwhile, the north foehn swept through the valleys with gusts of up to 80 km/h. From March 15th to 22nd, mostly sunny and increasingly mild high pressure weather prevailed everywhere. Only March 19th was mostly cloudy with locally heavy showers in the evening.