International
Hot spell pushes 'zero-degree' line to record height in Switzerland
August 21, 2023 | 09:56 AM
A hot spell enveloping Europe has pushed the zero-degree line -- the altitude at which the temperature dips into the minus -- to a record height of nearly 5,300 metres (17,400 feet) in Switzerland.The zero-degree line is determined by meteorologists using weather balloons that take off twice a day from Payerne in western Switzerland.MeteoSwiss said the new height was clocked overnight from Sunday to Monday at 5,298 metres, "which constitutes a record since monitoring began in 1954".The previous record of 5,184 metres was set on July 25 last year."The area known as the zero-degree isotherm is the threshold between air layers with temperatures above 0°C at lower altitudes and those with temperatures below freezing at higher altitudes," MeteoSwiss said."Among other things, the zero-degree isotherm affects vegetation, the snow line and the water cycle, and so has a considerable impact on the habitats of humans, animals and plants alike," it added, calling the marker "an integral part of weather forecasts in the Alpine region".
August 21, 2023 | 09:56 AM