National drought early detection and warning system launched.
In order to systematically monitor and predict the drought situation in Switzerland, the federal government has developed an early detection and warning system. This system went into operation on 8 May 2025 for the whole of Switzerland.
Climate change can lead to longer periods of drought. This will affect soil and water, weaken ecosystems, increase the risk of forest fires and damage agriculture and other sectors. From 8 May 2025, a Switzerland-wide early detection and warning system for drought will be available, combining meteorological, hydrological and satellite-based data. The Drought Information Platform (www.trockenheit.ch) was developed by the FOEN, MeteoSwiss and swisstopo. It complements the federal government’s existing information and warning services for natural hazards and implements the Federal Council’s mandate of 18 May 2022.
Drought platform: current situation, forecasts and warnings
The drought platform provides standardised information on the current drought situation in the different regions of Switzerland as well as forecasts for the next four weeks. Data from past events can also be accessed. Existing monitoring networks and forecast models have been supplemented with new information based on satellite data and long-term forecasts, e.g. for precipitation. Soil moisture and water temperature measurements will also be integrated from 2026. In the event of prolonged droughts, additional drought warnings will be published on the information platform and disseminated through existing warning channels, such as the federal government’s natural hazards portal.
Forecasts four weeks ahead
Are these long-term forecasts reliable? That depends on how they are used. If you want to know whether it will rain on Monday at 14.30 in four weeks’ time, the long-term forecast is completely useless. But if you are looking at the amount of precipitation over a longer period of time, say several weeks, then such a forecast is actually useful. In other words, it is possible to predict the general development of the atmospheric circulation several weeks in advance and to derive rough trends. These forecasts are therefore well suited to droughts that last for weeks to months. Of course, the uncertainties remain large. These forecasts must therefore be interpreted critically and should always be taken as an average for a whole region. More information on long-term forecasts can be found on our website:
Drought warnings on your mobile phone
From 8 May, a new drought tile will be available in the “Natural hazards” section of the MeteoSwiss app. This requires an update of the app. Drought warnings are deactivated by default. If you would like to receive them, you can change the notification settings in the settings at the bottom of the app. As these alerts are based on a four-week forecast, they can help to identify critical situations several weeks in advance. This can be useful for sectors that rely heavily on water resources, such as agriculture. In the event of an alert, a bulletin is also published on the platform with a more detailed description of the situation.
Supporting a wide range of users
The National Drought Early Warning System is the basis for proactive management of droughts. It increases the security of society by minimising damage and shortages of basic services. The information and early warnings make it easier for cantons and municipalities to plan or initiate specific measures, such as adjusting water withdrawals from watercourses or shutting down public wells. If necessary, they can issue instructions to the population. The early warning system will be improved and expanded in the coming years in the light of experience.
