Freezing point climbs to record height over Swiss Alps as heatwave grips Europe

Weather balloon rose to 5,184 metres before finding 0C, reports Aisha Rimi

Insulating foam covering a part of Switzerland’s Rhone Glacier to prevent it from melting (AFP via Getty Images)

Freezing point in the Swiss Alps has reached a new high, breaking a 27-year-old record, meteorologists have said. It follows record heatwaves across Europe exacerbated by human-induced climate change.

A weather balloon rose to 5,184 metres (17,008 feet) above the mountain range before it hit 0C, experts said.

The balloon had to travel nearly 70 metres (230 feet) higher than the previous Swiss record of 5,117 metres (16,788 feet), which was measured on 20 July 1995, and 375 metres (1,230 feet ) above the summit of Europe’s highest peak, Mont Blanc in the French Alps.