Saharan skies were just one strange weather phenomenon seen in Switzerland this winter.
Keystone / Laurent Gillieron
The Swiss winter brought wild fluctuations in temperature, unseasonal rainfalls, abundant snow brought on cold fronts from Siberia and even a helping of Saharan sand.
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In general, temperatures were two degrees Celsius higher than the average measured between 1961 and 1990, the Swiss meteorological office reported at the official end of winter on Sunday.
In some parts of Switzerland, temperatures fluctuated by more than 30 degrees in the space of a week as cold snaps were followed by warm spells.
Unlike neighbouring countries, Swiss ski resorts stayed open despite the pandemic, and they benefitted from large dumps of snow – measuring up to 75 centimetres in 24 hours. This was in contrast to the dearth of snow in the previous winter, which remains the warmest on record.
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Swiss skies turn orange as sand arrives from Africa
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Sand particles from the Sahara appeared in Swiss skies on Saturday afternoon, bathing parts of the country in a soft milky-yellow light.
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It was also the coldest Easter in 28 years, with the lowest temperature of the whole winter – minus 28.4 Celsius – recorded at La Brévine on Sunday night. Jacques Ambühl of the Federal Meteorology and Climatology Office (MeteoSwiss) told swissinfo that it was extraordinary to have this much snow so late in the year.…
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The thawing of terrain that used to be permanently frozen is becoming more and more prevalent, and it has planet-wide repercussions.
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