Switzerland faces summer drought

Thursday, 30 April 2026 06:30

Switzerland is facing a rapidly worsening drought, with eastern regions and northern Ticino now at high risk of forest fires.

In some areas, authorities have already banned open fires.

April has been exceptionally dry, with some regions receiving less than ten percent of normal rainfall.

Meteorologists say persistent high pressure has blocked rain systems, and little relief is expected in the coming days.

While some showers are forecast, they won’t be enough to reverse the deficit.

If there’s no significant rainfall before the summer there could be serious water shortages across the country.

More from Bitesize News

Govt looks to cut forest protection

The Federal Council is scrapping the CHF 25 million a year that Parliament voted to help forests adapt to climate change, despite two clear parliamentary decisions.
Federal Councillors heckled by protestors

Federal Councilors were out across the country marking National Day on Saturday - but not without controversy.
Further pressure on Swiss football head

Pressure is mounting on Zurich-based FIFA and its Italo-Swiss president Gianni Infantino after North America's football body demanded a complete overhaul of his presidency.
Politicians carry stereotypes

Elected politicians in Switzerland carry more gender stereotypes than the voters they represent, a new University of Geneva and University of Lausanne study finds.
Illegal rave hits pastures

A thousand young people left a mountain pasture in the Vaud Jura unsuitable for grazing after an illegal rave.
More Swiss firefighters head to France

A second team of 33 firefighters from French speaking Switzerland will travel to south-western France this weekend to relieve colleagues battling the wildfires.