FORECAST : LOCAL WEATHER WILL VARY

DAVID WINCH, UNOG

Is Geneva’s weather as bad as that ? For some expatriates here, yes, it is. Many complain of bleak 7–8° Celsius temperatures in August, rainy seasons that drag on through summer, and sudden changes of barometric pressure that can prompt headaches and, in some cases, depression.

Other adopted Genevans, arriving from volatile coastal regions where weather systems change quickly, find the city’s climate calm, predictable and temperate. And no doubt, western Switzerland is by global standards a temperate place. It has mild winters compared to northern Europe and much of North America, and frequently hot but comfortable summers, especially when compared to the Mediterranean world, an hour’s flight away.

But since weather extremes capture our imagination, everyone has anecdotes : the violent windstorms of December 1999 ripping across Lake Geneva ; the memorable five-month heat wave of summer 2003, which made work in the old buildings of the Palais des Nations unbearable ; long rainy spells that persist through spring and right into summer ; the cold Augusts of 2006 and 2007, with their bleak grey doldrums and temperatures dipping regularly to the 9–10° C (50° F) area ; the mini-cyclone bursts of hail in July 2005, blowing down trees and flooding towns in neighbouring France, followed by the hurricanelike deluge that August, which somehow bypassed western Switzerland but flooded central parts of the country.

Generally temperate, but with violent storms, then stifling heat. Cold in August, hot Aprils, rainy non-summers, super-mild Januarys then sudden wind storms and changes in precipitation : that’s Geneva.

The big picture
Aside from anecdotes and weather stories : what is the bigger picture ?

Compared to North American cities, Geneva has average annual precipitation (970 mm) similar to that of rainy Seattle (940 mm), and average temperatures almost identical to those in Vancouver, Canada. In Europe, Geneva gets more precipitation (rain and snow combined) than cities with wetter reputations, such as Dublin, London or Hamburg. As for average annual temperatures, about 10° C, Geneva is very similar to Vienna and Turin, but 2–3° C cooler than nearby Lyon.

The continuous weather record since 1965, published by the Republic and Canton of Geneva, shows all the highs and lows for the last 40 years. Some clear patterns emerge. Several summers with peak temperatures have occurred in recent years – including in 1994, 2000 and 2003. And since 1965 average annual temperatures have trended upwards by about 0.6° C per decade, from 9–10° C to well above 10° C.

The “transition” year on any climate graph is clearly around 1985, after which average Geneva temperatures spiked upwards past 10° C. For the medium term, this would seem to confirm the global-warming hypothesis in our region. Time will tell.

Also, since 1985 there has been a “valley”, or low-average period, for snowfall. This low came after several winters between 1980 and 1985 with very heavy snowfalls (more than 80 cm). Some residents still boast about skiing around the Old Town in Geneva in mid-winter 1980, an exercise only possible once in the two decades since then, most recently in winter 2005 (63 cm of snow, largely in January).

Health and the weather
Swiss dailies, unlike most newspapers in neighbouring France, list daily indications for Bio-météo, or bio-weather : how the climate affects individuals’ health and well-being. The daily bio-météo table in the Tribune de Genève, for one, lists daily assessments of local weather’s expected impact on pollen counts, UV levels and air quality, cardiovascular systems, and migraines and headaches. Regarding the latter, there is clear documentation that changes in barometric pressure may be related to the recurrence of headaches, and even to stress and depression in some people.

While greyness is hard to gauge, there are certainly periods when Geneva seems caught under an unending cloud, which affects people used to sunnier climes. And the bise wind from the north can accentuate the sudden feeling of being engulfed in a valley.

But overall, despite its sudden fluctuations and weather peaks, it is hard to say that Geneva is a hardship post for the weathersensitive. Enjoy the summer !