It's going to rain in Wengen all next week! Where to explore?

Weather forecasters can in no way predict with accuracy that far out here in these mountains. It will not pour here for a week straight. And to show you how inaccurate the forecasts are, over the last 2 days the THREE day forecast has changed no less than 10 times. One moment it will say this weekend is going to be sunny, then next it changes to rain, then back to sun, then partly cloudy and so on. And to add to that, the 3 best weather apps for here all disagree. Typically weather here is varied. You’ll often get Sun, clouds, rain, etc all in the course of a day (yesterday in the span of 10 minutes we had full clouds, rain, a rainbow and then perfectly blue skies with sun). It is very rare for it to pour all day long and if it does, it does not do it for a week straight. Keep your plans, bring rain jackets and you’ll find that your trip isn’t ruined after all.

My suggestion is always: Get up early. Weather is variable but often it is more stable in the morning.

So get up early. Look out the window. Check Meteoblue and MeteoSwiss and then decide what you are going to do .Don't plan things to much in detail. No travel plan survives contact with the Swiss weather.

The long term weather forecast does point towards cooler and wetter. But the details we do not know. Just know that for it to rain all day is rare...

Thanks very much for your thoughts--you are both right--it's too early to stress about next week's weather.

Deb

Good advice above to check Meteoblue and MeteoSwiss. And then pick the forecast you like the best. :-)

I was a little frustrated on my last trip because, as also mentioned above, the weather apps were not in agreement and kept changing. So, be flexible with plans when you can. When you do have clear skies, take advantage, and do your high priority activities first.

Walking down in Lauterbrunnen is a good rain activity. Some other ideas here:

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/switzerland/what-to-do-if-it-rains-in-berner-oberland-region

Have a great trip!! I hope the weather cooperates.

I really appreciate this thread as we will be on the other side of the Lauterbrünnen valley next week. I had not thought about waterproof boots but I think those will be necessary so I will wear them on the airplane. No room for them in the carry-on. We want to go to the top of the Schiltorn one early morning; I hope that weather will clear up even temporarily.

We traveled to the region last september and all the US weather apps said the same thing before we left. When we arrived the weather was pretty mild, very comfortable, and we only had 2 days of light periodic rain and one full day of rain in Zermatt. None in Wengen. I'm not sure if it was the weather app's inaccuracy, or just the unpredictability of rain forecasting in the area but we were planning for the worst and it worked out great. I hope your experience is similar.

A lot of the US weather apps use the GFS system, because it is free. But this model does not have the necessary resolution to take the in to account the influence differences in altitude have.

But there is also the fact that nobody is able to accurately predict the weather in the mountains more than about 48 hours in advance.

Consider what Swiss mums say their kids when they complain they have to walk to school in the rain: It is only water, and you are not made out of sugar...

This time of year it rains, maybe not every day, and maybe not all day. But it rains, and you should be prepared. You're from Oregon, you know the drill. And you can always take a train into Interlaken and the ferry from there to Thun.

We’ve had a roller coaster of a weather week here in Wengen. Hiked the Lauterbrunnen Valley in pouring rain one day but yesterday cleared up by the time we hiked from Murren to Gimmelwald. We ended up celebrating on a patio in Gimmelwald with a beer. Today it is clear until 3 pm—so it’s our day to hike Kline Schedeigg. However, starting late today, the temps are dropping precipitously and snow is predicted for several days. Fortunately, we are off to the Cotswolds on Friday.

Deb, I am glad you got to do some things and touched out the valley in the rain!

We are facing three or four days of varying mountain misery in the Val Gardena and Alpe di Siusi starting tomorrow.. Rain, cold rain, wind, snow flurries, and more cold. Last year we were buying summer shirts due to the heat in Annecy and later in Lauterbrunnen. You cannot game the weather, you can just make the most of it.

I hope you have great weather in the UK! Have a scone for me!

I feel bad for our close friends who are in Switzerland right now and headed from Kandersteg to Murren for the next 5 days. It is Sept 11 and they will be facing freezing temps with some light snow flurries for a few days. Overall about 5 days of their journey will be cold and somewhat wet. The forecast has highs of 4,2,4 degrees celsius with lows -1, -2, -1 celsius. This forum is awesome in that we all can share opinions and facts and then hopefully play the odds when booking a trip well in advance that costs a lot of time and money.

Personally, we have been to the Bernese Oberland six times, spanning a total of about 5-6 total months, but it has always been in mid-June through all of July. I guess I/we will need to tell people that September has the chance of being one of the best months to travel to the Bernese Oberland area, but be warned that you may, in fact, get an early cold spell that can include freezing temps with potential snow flurries. I guess the good news for them is they are staying in Murren and Grindelwald for 10 more days and the temps will inch back up come Sunday September 15th.

I’m the original poster on this topic. We are based in Wengen and have been here since Sunday. While rain was predicted all week, we’ve had two wonderful days of hiking in sunshine! True, it was a bit chilly today up on Kleine Schedeigg but you warm up quickly hiking (uphill) and we had such fun. The clouds moved in for about 1/2 hr and I fretted as I could barely see the path but the clouds cleared away, the alps were gorgeous and we had such a great day of hiking. I must say the cows were way too close for comfort by the water trough (was hit by one of their tails) but so what? We spent the truly rainy day hiking up the Lauterbrunnen Valley, wearing our rain gear and gortex shoes. As the Swiss say, we are not made of sugar and will not melt. Your friends will be fine—truly!

The last two days have produced over 8 inches of snow in Murren and continual white-out clouds/snow for the Lauterbrunnen to Grindelwald. If you search webcams, you can see it is still in progress as I type this on the morning of September 14th. Then go to the Thun and Bern webcams and it shows a huge cold snow-weather-front that hit the Mountains south and above Interlaken. This started on Thursday so almost 3 full days of a complete white-out with no blue skies and all clouds and snow on and off.

My friends are lucky to have brought heavy cold weather hiking gear and have made the most of it. They have actually hiked the 4-mile Mountain View Trail and North Face Trail above Murren. The North Face needed their GPS Trailmap app just to find several areas of the North Face Trail. I think we should just note this when telling others about traveling to the Bernese Oberland. Most will say September is one of the best months, and the weather is great, with a lot fewer crowds. I am sure that this is most likely the case for a larger percentage of the time. Still, this year, only two weeks off of August, it is snowing like crazy throughout the entire valley and mountains, and the pretty green grass/tree overlooks from high above all the mountain towns like Murren and Wengen have turned into a complete whiteout of snow.

Wow, Eddie! Thanks for the report. I think I am glad we don’t get to Lauterbrunnen until this coming Thursday. For now, we have 4-6 inches here at 6600 feet in Italy. We can only walk on the roads in the Alpe di Siusi at this point. I would not chance the trails those others (younger!) are doing so.

The weather cannot be gamed; “normal” does not exist. I have been in icy conditions above the Val Gardena in other Septembers, as early as Sept 9 per my trip notes from 2019.

One year we had rain of varying intensities for 10 days out of a 28 day stay in Lauterbrunnen. It led me to explore and write up a significant list of rainy day activities. We have also had days in mid-October in Lauterbrunnen when you could sit outside in shirtsleeves and eat lunch. This year feels like anomaly for both alpine areas. We were so warm in 2023 in alpine areas we had to buy lightweight summer hiking shirts.

So be prepared for anything. I will be in the same long sleeve wool tee and fleece for 4 days of outdoor activity because I brought one option for very cold conditions with long johns under my hiking pants, a puffy jacket, and good wool socks. I am hoping that short sleeved summer hiking shirt will get to come out of the suitcase at least a couple of days later this month.