I find the Google forecast on my phone is locally very accurate for two or three days.
It’s good enough if I want to know whether it’s going to rain now, or in an hour.
Maybe it has improved by now, but I found Google weather massively wanting in the alpine areas when I set up my stuff.
The alps have a massive influence on local weather and I fear the global models don’t cope with that on a micro level too well - they almost never get Föhn for example. The local forecasters are far better imo.
Is there something better for Switzerland than the Swiss meteo service?
There’s a phone app, and the precipitation forecast for the next few hours is great for hiking, the bike or driving with the roof down.
I’m intrigued.
For those of you who simply can not get enough sun. One can go here 365 days in the year.
Nothing elaborate, basically a collection of links.
Adding a little more than a bit reduces the freezing temperature of water allowing to chill below 0°
In 2008, I did an organized “TransAlp” MTB tour (though not the “classic” track).
On the first day, I think I didn’t drink enough or didn’t eat enough, with all the excitement.
We arrived at the hotel (in Sterzing, which I didn’t know at the time, was also the town Joseph Mengele passed through on his way to Genoa…but anyway), I felt a bit dizzy and ordered a huge orange juice. Which didn’t really help.
Then, I kind of sleep-walked towards the pedestrian zone where I met the others from the group who were in an ice-cream shop or cafe, I think. There, I drank a huge Apfelschorle and felt slightly better.
I think we went to a restaurant then where I ate way too much and could barely sleep during the night. Maybe also slight sunburn.
Thank god, the next day was a rather easy passage with little altitude gain. I was sort-of ok then but I realized it was one of those close-calls.
I tried to drink more for the rest of the tour.
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AC on swissinfo today. 20k ACs installed per year in Switzerland. And, regulations depend on the canton.
Also trying to understand the 12 watts/m2 limit.When I convert this to BTUs or tons, it implies the max installed cooling capacity for my whole apartment (80 m2) would be 960 watts or 0.27 tons? Something doesn’t add up here.
Why are air-conditioned homes in Switzerland rare?
The most immediate answer is because air conditioners are not essential. In Switzerland, summers are not as scorching and temperatures not as extreme as they are in Mediterranean or Middle Eastern countries.
But heat waves tend to be more frequent and prolonged. And Switzerland is one of the countries most affected by climate change. The need for cooling homes is growing, and cheap portable air conditioners are selling well: last June, Swiss online store Galaxus sold three times as many units as in June 2024.
Sales of stationary air conditioners are also increasing, albeit much more slowly. About 20,000 such units are installed in homes and offices each year.
Unlike portable models, which can be purchased freely, stationary air conditioners must meet energy and building requirements. Currently, cantonal authorities permit only those with a maximum output of 12 watts per square meter.
Restrictions can be even stricter. In Zurich, those who want such a system must first adequately insulate the rooms and have a sun-protection device (such as automatic shutters or awnings). In the canton of Fribourg, only those who have solar panels on their roofs can install a split air conditioner.
For Marco von Wyl, director of the Swiss Association of Manufacturers and Suppliers of Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems, the limitation of cooling power is the main obstacle to their installation in Switzerland. Many existing buildings, he says, are cut off.
Best is to buy a “mobile” airconditioner so you don’t have to worry about the regulations.
I have a mobile split rated at 3.5Kw.
It is very convenient, we were away most of the day, so it was switched off, about a half hour before we came home, I switched it on using an app on my phone.
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Best is to have a well insulated home
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why are fixed airconditioners regulated, but mobile ones are not?
Regulatory capture by the wealthier. There is potential of power blackouts if everyone has AC working at home. But, if regulations make it difficult, only a few ones know how to navigate the regulatory environment and pay for it. Then, the right people has AC and no power blackouts.
How does that help if people use mobile ones instead?
Because fixed ones are part of the building regulations, mobile ones are not. A fridge is a localised mobile AC unit, so the present use of mobile AC units ia through a loophole in the laws which there is not enough pressure or will to close.
AFAIK there are already a number of exceptions regarding which work spaces that can have a built in units. TIS, so it takes time for change…
If AC units become standard in flats, energy consumption will rise considerably.
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No widespread use of mobile ACs. And their use is looked down by mainstream opinion.
In Switzerland’s dry climate, why aren’t more people using ceiling fans?
Compared with air-con they are much, much cheaper to run, easier to maintain, cheap to install and although they don’t actually cool, the effect can feel like an 8 degree drop in temperature.
(the cooling effect on moisture evaporation from the skin)
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That is usually how planning controls work.
Fixed things are controlled, mobile usually not, because they are “temporary”.
For example, you need planning permission to construct a hut in your garden (some places allow 6 sqm without permission), but in most places you can park a caravan.
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The NZZ approaching a taboo:
It’s time to start worrying about air conditioning
Our summers are getting hotter, air conditioning systems provide cooling. But they cost electricity and thus ultimately promote climate change. How can you handle this paradox reasonably?
Air conditioning systems do not have a good reputation in Europe, very different from the naturally cooling USA, where around nine out of ten households are air-conditioned. While Americans simply regulate away summer temperatures and regularly turn interiors into cold rooms, air conditioning systems have the taste of a slightly frivolous luxury and are considered energy-eaters and climate sinners.
And, it’s time to laugh because personal comfort is still not a legitimate issue at the end of 2025. It has to reach “physical effect” levels, otherwise…suck it up. Overall, this idea of endure the heat looks like pure bravado with zero substance behind it. So, time for a 2nd laugh because not many people is ready (or willing) to endure such circumstances.
The decision pro or contra air conditioning remains a question of individual circumstances and priorities: How much does my apartment heat up in the summer? Do I work a lot in the home office? And how does the heat physically affect: Does it take my sleep, or do I even belong to a medical risk group, which is threatened by too high temperatures serious danger?
In addition, you should ask yourself whether you really use all the possibilities to keep the temperatures in the apartment low even without air conditioning. Cooling the house overnight with open windows and keeping the cool in the house during the day by shading or blinds is enough in many cases to avoid the worst tips.