After an unusually mild spell, winter is set to return to Switzerland this weekend. Temperatures are expected to drop sharply—by about 10°C—between Friday night and Saturday, according to MétéoSuisse. Snow is also forecast to return, although the snowline and expected amounts remain uncertain.
Spring had seemed to arrive early this year, with trees budding and daffodils already in bloom. But by Saturday afternoon temperatures in the lowlands may reach only 7–8°C. That would mark a sharp contrast with recent conditions, when several local records for late February were broken. On February 27th temperatures reached 20°C in Fahy and 17.6°C in La Chaux-de-Fonds.
Snow possible
Snowfall is also possible. Although forecasts remain uncertain, snowflakes could fall at around 600–700 metres, with 10–15cm of fresh snow above roughly 1,000 metres.
MétéoSuisse notes that such a cold snap is not unusual for mid-March and would simply bring temperatures closer to seasonal norms. The return of winter is also expected to be brief: sunshine and milder conditions, with temperatures of around 12°C, are forecast for next week.
A warm February globally
Globally, February 2026 was the fifth-warmest February on record. Average global temperatures reached 13.3°C, about 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900).
Europe’s picture was more mixed. The continent experienced one of its colder Februaries of the past 14 years overall, with particularly low temperatures in Scandinavia, Finland, the Baltic states and north-western Russia. By contrast, western and southern Europe were unusually mild.
In Switzerland, the warmth was especially noticeable at lower altitudes. In Neuchâtel and Payerne February 2026 ranked as the third-mildest February since records began, tied with 1990 and behind 2024 and 2020. The same ranking was recorded in Sion.
Several heat records for February were broken. On February 27th temperatures reached 20°C in Fahy, 17.6°C in La Chaux-de-Fonds and 16.3°C in La Brévine—all new records for the month. Temperatures also climbed well above seasonal norms elsewhere, reaching around 18°C in Zurich, about 17°C in Basel and roughly 16°C in Bern during the late-February warm spell.
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