After weeks of mild conditions, Switzerland will brace for a night of storms on November 19 with hurricane-force winds forecast in the mountains. However, there will be a treat following the storm, with many Swiss cities expected to get their first helping of winter snow on Thursday.

Autumn storms to sweep across Switzerland

From Tuesday to Wednesday, the weather in Switzerland will be swayed by Storm Quiteria, which will move from southern England to Germany and the Baltic Sea. During the daylight hours, a wave of warm air will bring rainfall and temperatures of up to 10 degrees celsius to most cantons. In a sign of what is to come, a strong wind of up to 80 kilometres per hour will start to blow.

The warm air will be followed by a cold front and storm from Tuesday evening to Wednesday morning. Very heavy rain and wind speeds of up to 100 kilometres per hour are expected in the lowlands, gale force gusts in excess of 118 kilometres per hour are predicted in the Swiss Alps and hurricane-force winds of up to 150 kilometres per hour are possible in Juran hills.

As a result, MeteoNews has issued several heavy storm warnings for parts of Switzerland on Tuesday and Wednesday. These areas are Aarau, Gäu, Thal, Grenchen-Solothurn, Bielersee, Seeland, Neuchâtel and the Mittelland of Canton Vaud. While up to half a metre of snow is expected in Swiss ski resorts overnight, what snow does fall in lower areas will be fleeting at best.

Swiss cities to see their first snowfall of the season on Thursday

After what is expected to be an April-like Wednesday with temperatures of up to 11 degrees, Swiss cities should finally get their first batch of snow on Thursday. MeteoNews reported that thanks to a fresh-cold wind, the mercury should drop to between freezing and 3 degrees, and heavy clouds will gather for the main event.

As it stands, cities like St. Gallen, Bern, Zurich, Chur, Lucerne and Lausanne should get snow on the ground. The only places that will likely not get any snow are in the extreme north and north-west Switzerland, namely Schaffhausen and Basel. While places like Geneva may get some snow in the early morning on November 21, it will quickly turn to rain.

Generally, the further south, west and higher you go, the more snow there will be. On Friday, things will remain cold, but only scattered snow showers are expected. 

Warm weather to return to Switzerland by the weekend

Sadly for fans of Christmasy weather, Saturday will see a strong Föhn wind arrive in Switzerland, shooting temperatures skyward once again. Scattered showers and temperatures between 4 and 12 degrees will be the norm over the weekend. With climate change making warm conditions more likely worldwide - the UN predicts that 2024 will be the hottest year on record - snow in the lowlands is expected to become even more of a treat than it already is.