temperature · Switzerland
Zürich
Winter (Dec–Feb) mean temperature
Modelled demonstration series · not observed data
Zero is the number that matters here, not the anomaly. A winter mean this far above freezing means the rain-snow line spends the season above the valley floors, so precipitation runs off immediately instead of being stored as snow and released in spring. The reservoir was never a reservoir — it was a snowpack.
75 years, modelled
Same reading, two normals
| Normal | Mean | σ | Pct | Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1951–1980 | -0.3 °C | +2.90σ | 99.81th | 1 in 540 years |
| 1991–2020 | 2.2 °C | +0.85σ | 80th | 1 in 5.0 years |
Today would rank 11 of 76 for highest value in the modelled series. Nothing about the reading changes between rows — only the yardstick.
The season here
A Swiss winter mean above freezing changes the precipitation type on the whole plateau — rain where snow used to fall.
Where this series comes from
MODELLED SERIES — not observed. Parameters set from published Zürich-Fluntern winter climatology. The 75 annual values are synthesised by the seeded generator.
Every number on this page comes from a modelled series: 75 annual values synthesised by a seeded generator from published climatological parameters for Zürich. It shows how anomaly reasoning works. It is not a measurement and must not be cited as one.
How to read σ
σ counts standard deviations from this place's own normal. The sigma guide · return periods.
More temperature stations
Open Zürich on the field →