Tropical night

Such warm nights often occur hand in hand with hot temperatures during the day in midsummer (hot day). This places a health burden on vulnerable groups of people such as the elderly, the sick, pregnant women and young children, especially when the heat makes refreshing sleep at night difficult for several days in a row.

Up until the beginning of the 21st century, tropical nights were very rare in Switzerland, and only occurred from time to time in Ticino. Because temperatures are rising due to climate change, tropical nights now occur almost every year at lower altitudes throughout Switzerland. If global greenhouse gas emissions are not drastically reduced, a sharp increase in the number of tropical nights in the lower-lying areas of Switzerland can be expected by the middle of this century.