It's not just the ski resorts suffering from the lack of snow (or rain)...now forest fires have broken out. Fortunately, one is already under control but...

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/evacuati...m_source=sflow

Looks like some snow will start falling in early January...but we could use a lot more!

So sad. It's about time we get some snow.

Where I live, in central Italy (Le Marche), it hasn't rained at all this month, which is very unusual. The wheat is suffering. There's been lots of fog, and haze (a euphemism for air pollution?) and spectacular sunsets.

Everything is under control now. It didn't rain, neither snow in the Swiss Alps since November 19th. The snow line is actually around 1800-2200 metres above Sea level. According to the weather forecast, there may be some snowfall next Monday, however.

The very fact that this happened at all is what is most concerning.

Yes like Dukey I am shocked this could happen in Switzerland -I thought that forest wild fires were illegal?

I'm glad to hear that the fires are under control, but how unfortunate!

Forest fires happen every few years in the Southern Swiss Alps. They can usually be extinguished within a day.
The biggest forest fire took place above Leuk 13 years ago. Even today, if you walk from Guttet to Albinen, you still cross a landscape of burned stumps. At these altitudes, nature needs more than 13 years to recover.

Even though necker clearly believes these fires were absolutely nothing of any consequence whatsoever, one of them lasted three days and has led to a ban on New Year's fireworks in part of the country.
http://www.20min.ch/ro/news/suisse/s...el-An-29749516

Necker, please ignore this thread, as you consider the lack of rainfall/snowfall and the fires (or any mention of them) to be utterly trivial and beneath noting from your exalted position.

"one of them lasted three days and has led to a ban on New Year's fireworks in part of the country"

That's perfectly correct but I never said the contrary.

Forest fires are never "nothing of any consequence whatsoever"; see my post above concerning the fire in the Leukerberge.