2023-08-21 08:19:14
It was necessary to climb to a record altitude of nearly 5,300 meters for the Swiss meteorological service to record the limit – or isotherm – of zero degrees, MeteoSwiss reported on Monday August 21, when much of the country is on alert. heat wave.
“The Payerne radiosounding [une station météo au nord-ouest de la Suisse] of this night from August 20 to 21, 2023 measured the isotherm of 0 ° C at 5,298 meters, which constitutes a record since the beginning of the measurements, in 1954 “reports the Swiss weather forecast on the social network X (formerly Twitter).
The previous record dated only from July 25 last year, with 5,184 meters, said MeteoSwiss.
Temperature decreases with altitude and, depending on the season and weather conditions, the altitude above which the temperature drops below 0°C varies.
“This surface, called the ‘zero degree isotherm’, separates the layers of air whose temperature is above 0°C at low altitudes from those whose temperature is below the freezing point at higher altitudes”explains the weather service on its website.
Due to its very important influence on the development of vegetation, the limit of snowfall and the water cycle, the zero degree isotherm occupies a prominent place in weather forecasts and plays an important role in the daily life in the Alpine region.
Switzerland, like much of Europe, is currently experiencing a heat wave with temperatures exceeding 30°C below 800 meters since Friday. The heat wave episode is expected to continue until Thursday, with peaks at 37 ° C.
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