Geneva, 25 December 2023 (dpa/MIA) – Switzerland posted record high temperatures for Christmas Eve in the south of the country, SRF Meteo reported on Monday.

Some of the weather stations in the region have been in operation for more than a century, including at Lugano on the Italian border, where 17.1 degrees Celsius was measured. On Saturday, a December record of 21.3 was posted there.

High values were also recorded in Graubünden/Grisons Canton, where the mercury reached 15.6 in Poschiavo, and at Ofenpass/Fourn Pass at an altitude of more than 2,100 metres, where 8.9 degrees was measured.

A Christmas thaw is not unusual, according to SRF Meteo. When polar nights begin in Scandinavia at the end of November, cold air flows to Central Europe.

As some air flows over the relatively warm Atlantic, low pressure systems form that often lead to milder temperatures over Switzerland at Christmas.

Photo: SRF Meteo