Switzerland is preparing for the most intense heatwave in 12 years with weather experts predicting high temperatures above 35C for the first eight to ten days of July. The torrid conditions across the country are expected to be the warmest since 2003 when temperatures exceeded 35C and thousands of people - mostly elderly - succumbed to the heat across Europe. Forecasts are saying similar conditions will develop and continue until at least 8 July  as a stable high pressure system extends from the Atlantic Ocean to Central Europe. The European Environment Agency reported this week, ‘Climate change is happening now: temperatures are rising, rainfall patterns are shifting, glaciers and snow are melting and the global mean sea level is rising. We expect that these changes will continue and that extreme weather events resulting in hazards such as floods and droughts will become more frequent and intense. Impacts and vulnerabilities for nature, the economy and our health differ across regions, territories and economic sectors in Europe.’  See also: http://www.eea.europa.eu/themes/climate