Lake Zurich drops to 75-year low as Swiss drought deepens

Switzerland’s Lake Zurich recorded a water level of 404.45 m above sea level on August 19, the lowest point measured since records began in 1952, surpassing the prior low of 405.46 m. The Federal Office for the Environment says a marked drought, driven by successive heatwaves and scant rainfall since spring, has dried soils and reduced surface and groundwater. This drought has lowered levels across several large lakes, including Lake Constance and Lake Maggiore, though Zurich is the only one to set a new record low.

The Zurich Lake Ferry company announced restrictions on heavy vehicles crossing between Horgen and Meilen due to the “extraordinarily low” water. In response to critical levels in Lake Maggiore, an Italian-Swiss consultative body approved increased outflow from Lake Lugano, following an alert from the Italian environment ministry over downstream rice-growing regions. Lake Geneva, by contrast, stays close to its average level of 372 m, aided by glacier melt-fed rivers.