High Thomas brings Switzerland heat of up to 32 degrees

High pressure system Thomas will bring hot and dry weather to Switzerland from Thursday, with afternoon temperatures reaching 28 to 32 degrees, SRF reported. The first week of September will remain unusually warm.

Friday and Sunday will be the warmest days in northern Switzerland. Temperatures of 32 degrees are expected mainly in the Basel region, Geneva and Valais. In Ticino, Saturday will be the hottest day, with temperatures of up to 32 degrees.

Temperatures will ease slightly on Monday and Tuesday, reaching 27 to 30 degrees. Hot days will then occur only locally. The weather will remain dry through Sunday, although showers and thunderstorms could affect some places during the night into Monday. It is still uncertain whether rain will arrive on Tuesday.

SRF meteorologist Silvan Rusch said the unusually high temperatures were being caused by high Thomas, which is named after Thomas Bucheli. The system is bringing warm air from the Iberian Peninsula and warming the air through sinking motion. This movement is also clearing most clouds, allowing sunlight to heat the air further.

The warm spell is expected to continue until next Wednesday, when temperatures could fall to seasonal levels, with highs of around 20 degrees. Longer-term forecasts indicate that the rest of September will probably be warmer than average, although individual cool days remain possible. Rainfall is expected to be average or slightly below average from next week.