Following the recent heatwaves in Europe, the freezing point in the Swiss Alps has reached the highest point ever recorded, beating the previous record by a margin of 70 metres.
An automated weather balloon ascended to an altitude of 5,184 meters in the Swiss Alps before reaching freezing (0°C) or lower, according to MeteoSwiss, the Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology.
The agency announced that this is a new record, breaking the previous record of 5,117 meters, set on July 20, 1995.
The fact that the freezing point reaches this height in Western Europe is particularly striking, as it surpasses even the highest mountain of the Alps, Mont Blanc, at 4,807 meters. MeteoSwiss says that even before the new record was reached this week, a freezing point altitude was seen in July that was significantly higher than the usual average.
“July is breaking the record so far,” MeteoSwiss said in a blog post. “To date, there has only been one measurement above 5,000 meters on July 20, 1995, at exactly 5,117 meters. A value above 4,900 meters is one of the top ten. “The frost level is an integral part of the weather report. It shows the height at which temperatures fall into the freezing range. Currently, this limit is above the highest peaks of the Alps, and it’s not uncommon.”
It can be clearly seen that the climate crisis has begun to affect almost every corner of our planet, including the high-altitude mountains. Studies show that global warming is occurring more rapidly in many higher regions. A 2015 study showed that temperatures above 4,000 meters have warmed 75 percent faster than altitudes below 2,000 meters over the past 20 years.
Naturally, with these temperature changes, the habitats of living things change, and other studies have shown that animals that normally live at lower altitudes begin to climb up the mountains.
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