After what was officially the coldest night of the year in Swiss cities and cantons on December 11, MeteoNews has predicted that arctic-like temperatures and heavy snowfall will continue to dominate the weather in Switzerland. In rural areas in the mountains, temperatures as low as -30 degrees celsius are forecast for the night of December 12.

Coldest night of the year in Switzerland

Because of what MeteoNews called a “surge of very cold air,” temperatures across Switzerland plummeted on the night of December 11. The mercury dropped to -14,9 degrees and -13,1 degrees in Canton Bern and Solothurn respectively, making it the coldest night of the year so far. While not as extreme, Zurich, Basel and Geneva also saw temperatures fall to between -6 and -9 degrees overnight.

This intense cold brought new snowfall to areas of the lowlands, after the first snow fell on Swiss cities last Friday. Up to 30 centimetres of snow lay overnight, the majority of which fell on ski resorts and areas of the mountains.

-30 degrees celsius possible in areas of the Swiss mountains

Those hoping for warmer temperatures are set to be disappointed, with MeteoNews predicting even colder weather should be expected across the country on December 12. The organisation noted that relatively clear skies above the Alps should allow temperatures to drop further.

In areas of the lowlands, like St. Gallen, Bern and Lausanne, temperatures as low as -11 degrees are expected on the evening of December 12. In alpine areas, temperatures are expected to be even lower at between -20 and -30 degrees. La Brévine, Samedan, the Ofenpass and high alpine valleys will be the coldest.

Temperatures in Switzerland to return to normal after December 12

After the frigid evening, and the heavy snowfall expected on Tuesday, the weather in Switzerland is expected to stabilise, with areas of the mountains seeing temperatures of just under freezing for the rest of the week. In cities, the weather will be almost tropical by comparison, with the mercury remaining between freezing and 10 degrees.