Fog and heavy traffic, not a good combination in winter, in terms of pollution

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND – Lake Geneva’s winter fog often comes with an unwelcome partner, and pollution levels have been rising this week, with fine air particle levels measured above the accepted limit, set at 50 microgrammes/m3.

Geneva’s city centre has been showing fine particles levels above the limit for the past five days and NO2 levels also just above the limit for the past three days. The situation on the outskirts of the city has been better (see graphs) but the fine particles level is nevertheless above the limit.

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TransAlp’Air maps show the three-country Lake Geneva region’s fine particles pollution levels: note the sharp drop to 10 in higher regions, in the Jura and the Alps

Measurements taken in Nyon show similar levels to those on the outskirts of Geneva.

MeteoSwiss says the persistent high pressure system could last until at least 23 December, causing fog and icy air in the Lake Geneva region and along both sides of the Jura, but warmer, sunny weather in the mountains. If you have a chance to climb above 1,000 metres this weekend, you’ll breathe more easily – check out the MeteoSwiss web cam views.

Not surprisingly, the best place for fresh air in Switzerland at the moment is on the Jungfraujoch mountain!

The short-term outlook for pollution is for the fine particles measurements to remain high and possibly to climb as the cold damp air traps the pollution.

Note that you can check levels in the greater Lake Geneva region quickly on the TransAlp’Air web site.