Weather Lack of rain made April a record month in some cases
Switzerland can look back on a high-pressure, summery month with very little precipitation. In some areas, it was the least rainy April since records began.
01.05.2026, 13:02
01.05.2026, 13:03
SDA
On average across Switzerland, precipitation totals amounted to just 27 percent of the 1991-2020 reference value, as the Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology (MeteoSwiss) wrote in a blog post on Friday. The "wet" days with more than one millimeter of precipitation could "practically be counted on one hand".
According to MeteoSwiss, last April was the fourth least rainy April since measurements began in 1864. On the western and eastern northern slopes of the Alps, it was even the least rainy.
Across the entire monitoring network, over 80 locations recorded a new record minimum of April precipitation. More than 20 of them recorded less than ten millimetres of precipitation, including those in the Bernese Oberland, in the canton of Graubünden and in the region between Zofingen and Aarau in the canton of Aargau.
However, the blog went on to say that a lack of precipitation does not necessarily equate to drought. According to the blog, the previous history over several months, the water levels in rivers and lakes, the groundwater level, soil moisture and the condition of the vegetation also play a role. Since the week beginning April 20, however, one can effectively speak of dry conditions in large parts of the country.
Sunshine record in Pully
This April was not only record-breaking in terms of precipitation. Instead of rain, the high-pressure weather brought strong breezes and plenty of sunshine, according to the report: 130-155 percent of the average sunshine duration over the 1991-2020 reference period was recorded.
A sunshine record was also measured in Pully, Vaud: 284.4 hours of sunshine and thus around three weeks of maximum sunshine were recorded by the corresponding measuring station. The previous record of 283.5 hours was set in 1938.
