The first week of March 2026 brings exceptional warming to Western and Central Europe. A stable high-pressure system has dominated the weather from Bordeaux to Berlin, bringing temperatures exceeding 20 degrees Celsius in Italy and France. However, meteorologists warn of a large diurnal temperature range in Germany and the approaching cloud of dust from the Sahara, which this coming weekend could affect air clarity over Switzerland and neighboring countries.
Temperatures above 20 degrees
The spring warming hit Italy and southern France the hardest, where values are being recorded that are 8 degrees higher than the norm.
Dust from the Sahara over Europe
Transport of Saharan sand over Switzerland and southern Germany is forecast for the coming weekend.
Extreme diurnal differences
Very large temperature ranges between sunny days and cool, almost frosty nights are being recorded in Berlin and Brandenburg.
A stable barometric situation over the European continent has led to the formation of a vast area of clear sky, which meteorologists refer to as an anticyclonic block. Italian weather services report a 'spring strike,' most strongly felt in Rome, Florence, and Naples, where thermometers show a steady 20 degrees Celsius. Although morning fogs persist in the Po Valley in northern Italy, the rest of the country enjoys almost cloudless skies. A similar situation prevails in France, where temperatures in the Aquitaine region are approaching historical records from 1977. Back then, 21 degrees in the shade was recorded in Bordeaux, which today becomes a realistic reference point for the current heat peak. Germany is also experiencing the arrival of meteorological spring, though here the weather has a more varied face. In Berlin and Brandenburg, synopticians point to extreme temperature differences between sunny days and frosty nights. Meanwhile, in Hesse and Bavaria, stable, high-pressure weather is predicted to persist for most of the week. Despite the dominance of sunshine, nights remain cool in some Rhineland regions and in Hesse, requiring residents to adjust their clothing to rapid weather changes within a day. In Switzerland, an influx of air masses carrying fine sand particles from Africa is forecast, a phenomenon typical of strong southern circulations. Saharan dust reaching Europe is a phenomenon involving the transport of millions of tons of desert sand by air currents in the upper layers of the atmosphere. It can give the sky a yellowish tint and significantly accelerate glacier melting in the Alps by lowering the albedo of snow.Public mood surveys indicate residents' enthusiasm for the sudden warming, but climate experts remind us that such early and intense heat waves can negatively impact agriculture. Plants, stimulated to life by high temperatures, become extremely vulnerable to potential frosts, which in March and April are still highly likely. Furthermore, inversion in urban areas, despite sunny weather, can lead to localized deterioration of air quality in the morning hours. However, the current trend indicates that the stable high-pressure system will remain with us at least until the end of this week. „C'est un épisode exceptionnel de douceur printanière pour un début mars, avec des températures localement supérieures de 8 degrés aux normales de saison.” (This is an exceptional episode of spring mildness for early March, with temperatures locally exceeding seasonal norms by 8 degrees.) — Météo-France Forecast Maximum Temperatures (March 3rd): Bordeaux: 21, Rome: 20, Florence: 20, Naples: 20, Berlin: 15, Hamburg: 13