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On This Day in Basel: A Historic Weather Record
Published: January 22, 2026 · Period: 2026-01-22On January 22, 1942, Basel recorded its coldest day at -24.1°C, a significant event in its weather history, though not as extreme as the global or European records, such as -89.2°C in Antarctica or -69.6°C in Greenland.
On January 22, 1942, Basel experienced its coldest day on record, with temperatures plummeting to a chilling -24.1°C. This remarkable event occurred 84 years ago, marking a significant moment in the city's weather history. While this temperature is indeed extreme for Basel, it pales in comparison to some of the coldest temperatures recorded elsewhere. For instance, the global record for the lowest temperature was set at a bone-chilling -89.2°C in Vostok, Antarctica, on July 21, 1983. In Europe, the coldest temperature recorded was -69.6°C at AWS Klinck, Greenland, on December 22, 1991. Even within Switzerland, the temperature in Basel on that day was not the coldest ever recorded, as La Brévine, known as the "Siberia of Switzerland," reached -41.8°C on January 12, 1987. Despite these comparisons, the frigid day in Basel remains a notable event in the city's climatic history.
Table 1: Lowest Temperature Records: Switzerland, Europe, and Worldwide
| Region | Location | Date | Temperature | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Switzerland | La Brévine, NE | 1987-01-12 | -41.8 | MeteoSwiss - Records and extremes |
| Global | Vostock, Antarctica | 1983-07-21 | -89.2 | MeteoSwiss - Records and extremes |
| Europe | AWS Klinck, Greenland | 1991-12-22 | -69.6 | MeteoSwiss - Records and extremes |
Figure 1: Temperature before and after coldest Day on 1942-01-22
Additional resources: Extreme Weather Watch, MeteoSwiss: Records and extremes
🤖 This text was generated with the assistance of AI. All quantitative statements are derived directly from the dataset listed under Data Source.