Drought in Switzerland: Europe’s ‘water tower’ runs dry

yellowed lawn

A lawn on the shores of Lake Biel, canton Bern, July 15, 2026.

Keystone / Christian Beutler

boats beached at the jetty

Boats in the Untersee, the western basin of Lake Constance, at Mannenbach-Salenstein, canton Thurgau, July 23, 2026.

Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

aerial view of the River Rhine

View of the Rhine at Stein am Rhein, canton Schaffhausen, July 30, 2026.

Keystone / Andreas Becker

arid soil

The dried-up bed of the River Emme near Aefligen, canton Bern, July 13, 2026.

Keystone / Anthony Anex

river completely dry

The dry riverbed of the River Töss at Tablat, canton St Gallen, July 27, 2026.

Keystone / Gaetan Bally

aerial view of a riverbed where a mesh cover has been installed to protect the fish from the heat

A net installed over the Geisslibach river protects fish from the summer heat in Diessenhofen, canton Thurgau, July 30, 2026.

Keystone / Andreas Becker

boats beached at the jetty

Lake Les Brenets on the French-Swiss border, July 28, 2026. It is not only the drought that is causing the lake to dry up, but also water seeping into the subsoil.

Keystone / Jean-Christophe Bott

aerial view of yellowing meadows next to a football pitch

Dry pitches in Bern, July 27, 2026.

Keystone / Christian Beutler

a piece of wood protrudes from the carpet of seaweed in a dried-up lake

A carpet of algae on the River Thur at Müllheim, canton Thurgau, July 30, 2026.

Keystone / Claudio Thoma

aerial view of parched farmland

Parched fields in Wittinsburg, canton Basel Country, August 7, 2026.

Keystone / Georgios Kefalas

cows grazing on a parched meadow, with a lake in the lowlands in the background

Cows grazing on the Suchet mountain pasture in Rances, canton Vaud, August 11, 2026.

Keystone / Laurent Gillieron

wheat field

A wheat field in Val Müstair, canton Graubünden, July 31, 2026.

Keystone / Gian Ehrenzeller

A field of sunflowers scorched by the sun

A field of sunflowers in Stammheim, canton Zurich, July 30, 2026.

Keystone / Andreas Becker

a forest with trees whose leaves have turned yellow

Woods above Tüscherz, canton Bern, August 11, 2026.

Keystone / Christian Beutler

a forest with trees whose leaves have turned yellow

Forest above Le Landeron, canton Neuchâtel, August 5, 2026.

Fabrice Coffrini / AFP

Rivers reduced to trickles, scorched landscapes and forests taking on autumn colours weeks ahead of schedule: such scenes highlight the severity of a drought unmatched in Switzerland for decades.

This content was published on

August 21, 2026 – 09:00

Since spring, Switzerland and much of Europe have been gripped by an exceptional drought. Between April 1 and July 31, around one-fifth of Switzerland’s monitoring stations recorded their lowest water levels for this period since measurements began, according to the Federal Office for the Environment.

In July, water scarcity affected 99% of Swiss territory, according to an AFP analysis based on the European Copernicus drought indicator. As of August 10, drought risk remained at the highest level across the country.

River flows have fallen well below the minimum levels recorded during the 1991-2020 reference period, with the Swiss Plateau and Jura particularly hard hit. In Basel, the Rhine’s average flow rate in July was even lower than during the summer of 2003, Switzerland’s hottest summer since records began in 1864.

Many lakes are also at unusually low levels for the time of year. On August 11, Lake Constance stood at 394.97 metres above sea level, 27 centimetres below the previous low recorded during the 1991-2020 period.

On August 19, Lake Zurich was at its lowest level since records began in 1951. This is hampering navigation and affecting certain sporting and leisure activities.

But the wider impacts of the drought are being felt across society. The drought is damaging crops and pastures, putting forests and aquatic ecosystems under pressure, disrupting energy production and reducing water availability. Several municipalities have introduced water-use restrictions, including bans on watering gardens and filling swimming pools.

Thunderstorms and scattered showers are forecast for the second half of August. But it would take prolonged and substantial rainfall to bring meaningful relief.

Below is a selection of our articles on the drought and heatwaves affecting Switzerland and the rest of Europe:

A man walks across a park in London on August 9, 2026.

Climate adaptation

As heatwaves rise, Swiss climate concerns fall

This content was published on

Aug 11, 2026

Despite heatwaves and wildfires across Europe, most Swiss consumers say climate concerns do not influence their spending or investment decisions.

Water hose lying on dry ground.

Climate adaptation

Switzerland is water-rich. So why are 151 towns rationing it?

This content was published on

Aug 3, 2026

Switzerland has more water than it uses. Yet this summer, at least 151 municipalities have banned residents from filling pools or watering gardens.

an air-conditioning fan on a window sill

Climate adaptation

Switzerland’s new energy challenge: keeping cool in a warming climate

This content was published on

Jul 30, 2026

Swiss homes and cities were designed to cope with winter. But as summers heat up, people are now scrambling for ways to cool down. What does this mean for the electricity grid?

Two people on a jetty are looking out over a dried-up lake

Climate adaptation

Sparse rainfall and heatwaves have put Switzerland on drought alert

This content was published on

Jul 28, 2026

Fifty years after the “drought of the century”, Switzerland is facing into summer 2026 with unusually low water reserves. Some simple measures can prevent critical situations.

forest fire

Climate adaptation

How to prevent wildfires in Switzerland and Europe

This content was published on

Jul 27, 2026

With risk levels high across much of Switzerland, an expert explains why the wildfire season started early in Europe this year and what can help the situation.

Opinion

Climate adaptation

What Switzerland needs to learn from earlier and longer heatwaves

This content was published on

Jul 14, 2026

The exceptional heatwave in June highlighted the difficulties in coping with these new climatic extremes, says climatologist Sonia Seneviratne.

thunderstorm cloud

Climate adaptation

Why artificial rain is not a solution to drought

This content was published on

Jun 28, 2026

The idea of tackling drought with “on-demand” rain is a fantasy, according to a cloud-seeding expert in Switzerland.

Water is becoming scarcer in many places, even in Switzerland. What’s the situation where you live?

Water is becoming scarcer in many parts of the world. What are you doing to save water?

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Edited by Balz Rigendinger. Translated from Italian, sub-edited by Simon Bradley/ac

Articles in this story

Drought in Switzerland: Europe’s ‘water tower’ runs dry

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