Switzerland faces severe heat waves, temperatures can reach up to 40 degrees C# source files

According to the projections, the hottest period will be from Thursday to weekend, while high temperatures are expected to continue even on August 1st, when the country marks National Day.

Peter Wick, director of Meteonews, stated that during three decades of his work as meteorologist, he had never before seen models predict such high temperatures on the northern side of the Alps. He estimated that weather conditions could also exceed the extreme heat waves recorded in 2003 and 2018.

Due to the increased risk of fires, stops for lighting fires remain in force in many cantons and municipalities, the move expected to not change even during the August 1st celebrations.

The situation has also affected the fireworks market, where vendors report a drop in demand. Pirotechnic Urs Corradini has called on local authorities to consider alternatives to organising celebrations, proposing specific areas and supervised by fire services for the use of fireworks.

Authorities have appealed to citizens to avoid long exposure to the sun, to consume as much liquids as possible, and to respect safety measures to reduce the risk of fires during days at extreme temperatures.