Zermatt and Matterhorn

[happyspouses]

We will be spending two days in Zermatt with the goal of seeing the Matterhorn. Based on typical and seasonal weather conditions, is mid-May a good time to travel there with a possibility of clear weather and a view of the Matterhorn?

[orchestrapal]

After many trips to Switzerland in May I would say that early in the month you can almost be sure of snow and cold but many sunny days. By the end of May it is unbelievably beautiful and warmer but never hot.

[happyspouses]

After many trips to Switzerland in May I would say that early in the month you can almost be sure of snow and cold but many sunny days. By the end of May it is unbelievably beautiful and warmer but never hot.

 

Thank you!!!

[xpcdoojk]

We spent 2 full days in Zermatt in 2008, the only time we saw the Matterhorn was about 20 minutes from Zermatt on the train. Once we got to Zermatt the clouds moved in and it rained for two days. We still enjoyed Zermatt. This was around the first of July.

 

jc

[CPT Trips]

Probably the best views of the Materhorn are from the Gornergrat . . . A cog wheel rail line from Zermatt. Zermatt is at about a mile altitude, Gornergrat is almost twice that. You could be above the clouds and you can find out the viewing conditions easily.

[RDC1]

Was just in Zermatt June 7-9. On those days the view was clear and the weather warm (29C, close to 80f). It was unusually warm, close to 90f in Zurich a few days earlier. Our tour guide said that on his previous trip two weeks earlier it rained most of the time.

 

Keep in mind that Switzerland gets a lot of rain so you take your chances pretty much whenever you might go.

Edited July 10, 2015 by RDC1

[TravelerThom]

...Keep in mind that Switzerland gets a lot of rain so you take your chances pretty much whenever you might go.

There is a bar chart of rainfall by month in Zermatt at https://images.search.yahoo.com/images/view;_ylt=AwrB8pFASqFVxl4A8QsunIlQ;_ylu=X3oDMTIyMDVqaTd2BHNlYwNzcgRzbGsDaW1nBG9pZAM4NzcxODhlZGZiNjA4ODViYmUwNDI1MjI0ZmZkNjVlYQRncG9zAzcEaXQDYmluZw--?.origin=&back=https%3A%2F%2Fimages.search.yahoo.com%2Fyhs%2Fsearch%3Fp%3DSwitzerland%2BRain%2BBy%2BMonth%26fr%3Dyhs-mozilla-001%26hsimp%3Dyhs-001%26hspart%3Dmozilla%26tab%3Dorganic%26ri%3D7&w=341&h=266&imgurl=www.about.ch%2Fgeography%2Fclimate%2Fzermatt_precipitation.gif&rurl=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.about.ch%2Fgeography%2Fclimate%2Fzermatt.html&size=+4.1KB&name=Bar+chart+of+average+precipitation+per+%3Cb%3Emonth%3C%2Fb%3E+in+Zermatt+%5D&p=Switzerland+Rain+By+Month&oid=877188edfb60885bbe0425224ffd65ea&fr2=&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&tt=Bar+chart+of+average+precipitation+per+%3Cb%3Emonth%3C%2Fb%3E+in+Zermatt+%5D&b=0&ni=21&no=7&ts=&tab=organic&sigr=11ilirje1&sigb=147galtfn&sigi=11olesskv&sigt=120fnsdnv&sign=120fnsdnv&.crumb=R8W4MLITp9c&fr=yhs-mozilla-001&hsimp=yhs-001&hspart=mozilla Of course it is cloudy weather that impedes viewing, and it can be cloudy without rain - Seattle has a reputation for rain but 43 US cities get more rainfall, while Seattle is cloudy virtually all winter.

 

Thom