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It WON’T be a white Christmas in Swiss cities this year

The Local
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It WON’T be a white Christmas in Swiss cities this year
You have to go up high to find snow this Christmas. Photo: Martin Maegli/Swiss Tourism

Despite the snow that has fallen across Switzerland this December, including at low altitude on Monday this week, it is extremely unlikely to be a white Christmas on the Swiss lowlands this year, according to meteorologists.

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Temperatures are set to rise towards the end of the week, reaching five or six degrees by Friday, said MeteoNews in a statement. 
 
Consequently the snow line will rise to over 1,000m, with heavy rain forecast below that level in many places on Friday night. 
 
Over the weekend and on Christmas Day the weather should be calmer, without any significant precipitation. 
 
Nevertheless, those city dwellers seeking a white Christmas won’t have to go too far to find snow on the ground. Significant snowfall in the past two weeks means resorts over 1,400m have plenty of white stuff. 
 
According to MeteoSuisse, it’s pretty rare for Swiss city dwellers to experience a white Christmas – meaning snow on the ground from Christmas Eve to Boxing Day. 
 
The capital, Bern, sees a white Christmas once every four years, while Neuchâtel in western Switzerland only experiences snow over the holiday season once every 11 years. 
 
By contrast, the mountain resort of Davos, at 1,600m, has a white Christmas nearly all the time. In fact the only year in the past 80 that it hasn’t was last year, when there was no snow cover at all on Christmas Eve, and only 3cms on Christmas Day which subsequently melted away.
 
Last December was the driest for 150 years, with resorts having to wait until early January for snow to reappear.
 
 
 
Source: MeteoSuisse
 

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