Säntis
Säntis | |
---|---|
Ultra | |
Coordinates | 47°14′57.73″N 9°20′35.92″E / 47.2493694°N 9.3433111°E |
Geography | |
Country | Switzerland |
Cantons of | Appenzell Innerrhoden and St. Gallen |
Parent range | Appenzell Alps |
At 2,501.9 metres (8,208 ft)
Geography
Säntis is located in the Alpstein region, nearly 10 kilometres (6.2 mi) (as the crow flies) southwest of the town of
Climate
The exposed position of Säntis results in weather conditions normally observed in the
Climate data for Säntis (~12 m of the ridge), elevation: 2,490 m or 8,170 ft 1991–2020 normals | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −4.1 (24.6) |
−4.8 (23.4) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−1.0 (30.2) |
3.2 (37.8) |
6.9 (44.4) |
9.2 (48.6) |
9.6 (49.3) |
6.2 (43.2) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
−3.2 (26.2) |
1.8 (35.2) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −6.8 (19.8) |
−7.5 (18.5) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−3.0 (26.6) |
1.0 (33.8) |
4.5 (40.1) |
6.4 (43.5) |
6.8 (44.2) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−3.3 (26.1) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−0.7 (30.7) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −9.3 (15.3) |
−10.0 (14.0) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
2.1 (35.8) |
4.0 (39.2) |
4.5 (40.1) |
1.3 (34.3) |
−1.3 (29.7) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−8.4 (16.9) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 270 (10.6) |
222 (8.7) |
255 (10.0) |
176 (6.9) |
224 (8.8) |
243 (9.6) |
279 (11.0) |
266 (10.5) |
214 (8.4) |
193 (7.6) |
205 (8.1) |
294 (11.6) |
2,840 (111.8) |
Average snowfall cm (inches) | 133 (52) |
140 (55) |
134 (53) |
96 (38) |
64 (25) |
30 (12) |
13 (5.1) |
12 (4.7) |
38 (15) |
60 (24) |
118 (46) |
165 (65) |
1,003 (395) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 12.7 | 12.3 | 14.4 | 12.8 | 15.1 | 16.1 | 16.5 | 15.8 | 13.4 | 11.6 | 12.3 | 14.9 | 167.9 |
Average snowy days (≥ 1.0 cm) | 14.2 | 13.4 | 15.0 | 12.5 | 9.0 | 4.6 | 2.0 | 1.7 | 5.3 | 8.1 | 12.1 | 15.7 | 113.6 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
66 | 68 | 74 | 79 | 83 | 85 | 85 | 82 | 79 | 72 | 71 | 69 | 76 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 128 | 132 | 155 | 162 | 163 | 160 | 168 | 171 | 158 | 161 | 118 | 111 | 1,787 |
Percent possible sunshine | 46 | 46 | 43 | 41 | 36 | 35 | 36 | 40 | 43 | 48 | 43 | 43 | 41 |
Source: MeteoSwiss[5] |
Climate data for Säntis (~12 m of the ridge), elevation: 2,490 m or 8,170 ft, 1961-1990 normals and extremes | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 6.0 (42.8) |
10.1 (50.2) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.0 (51.8) |
13.8 (56.8) |
15.1 (59.2) |
20.8 (69.4) |
18.0 (64.4) |
16.1 (61.0) |
15.5 (59.9) |
9.8 (49.6) |
7.3 (45.1) |
20.8 (69.4) |
Mean maximum °C (°F) | 2.2 (36.0) |
2.1 (35.8) |
3.2 (37.8) |
5.0 (41.0) |
8.9 (48.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
14.7 (58.5) |
14.8 (58.6) |
12.7 (54.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
6.7 (44.1) |
3.8 (38.8) |
14.8 (58.6) |
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | −5.1 (22.8) |
−5.3 (22.5) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−2.0 (28.4) |
1.8 (35.2) |
5.1 (41.2) |
7.3 (45.1) |
7.3 (45.1) |
6.0 (42.8) |
3.7 (38.7) |
−1.2 (29.8) |
−3.5 (25.7) |
0.8 (33.5) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | −8.3 (17.1) |
−8.3 (17.1) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−4.5 (23.9) |
−0.5 (31.1) |
2.8 (37.0) |
5.1 (41.2) |
5.0 (41.0) |
3.6 (38.5) |
1.0 (33.8) |
−4.0 (24.8) |
−6.5 (20.3) |
−1.8 (28.8) |
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | −10.7 (12.7) |
−10.5 (13.1) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−6.6 (20.1) |
−2.7 (27.1) |
0.5 (32.9) |
2.4 (36.3) |
2.5 (36.5) |
1.1 (34.0) |
−1.4 (29.5) |
−6.4 (20.5) |
−9.0 (15.8) |
−4.2 (24.5) |
Mean minimum °C (°F) | −19.9 (−3.8) |
−18.4 (−1.1) |
−16.9 (1.6) |
−13.9 (7.0) |
−9.6 (14.7) |
−5.9 (21.4) |
−3.8 (25.2) |
−3.6 (25.5) |
−5.7 (21.7) |
−9.2 (15.4) |
−15.2 (4.6) |
−18.0 (−0.4) |
−19.9 (−3.8) |
Record low °C (°F) | −30.4 (−22.7) |
−29.1 (−20.4) |
−27.8 (−18.0) |
−18.9 (−2.0) |
−15.9 (3.4) |
−9.7 (14.5) |
−7.1 (19.2) |
−8.0 (17.6) |
−9.9 (14.2) |
−13.6 (7.5) |
−21.4 (−6.5) |
−25.7 (−14.3) |
−30.4 (−22.7) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 229.0 (9.02) |
201.0 (7.91) |
209.0 (8.23) |
249.0 (9.80) |
235.0 (9.25) |
293.0 (11.54) |
315.0 (12.40) |
333.0 (13.11) |
211.0 (8.31) |
171.0 (6.73) |
211.0 (8.31) |
246.0 (9.69) |
2,903 (114.3) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 15.0 | 13.0 | 15.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 17.0 | 16.0 | 16.0 | 12.0 | 10.0 | 12.0 | 14.0 | 172 |
Average relative humidity (%)
|
72.0 | 71.0 | 76.0 | 81.0 | 82.0 | 83.0 | 81.0 | 80.0 | 74.0 | 66.0 | 70.0 | 68.0 | 75.3 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 114.7 | 134.3 | 148.2 | 141.9 | 153.7 | 147.4 | 169.1 | 165.7 | 176.1 | 187.6 | 132.6 | 120.6 | 1,791.9 |
Source: NOAA[6]
Open climate chart for the corresponding period |
Panorama
History
The name Säntis dates back to the 9th century. It is an abbreviation of the Romansh language for Sambatinus (English: the one born on Saturday), which was thought to be the name of a nearby area. The name was later used to refer to the summit. In the German language it was called Semptis or Sämptis. The mountain later gave its name to a canton of the Helvetic Republic (1798–1803).
Weather station
The International Meteorological Congress of Rome in 1879 declared it as a necessity to build
Säntis murder
The so-called Säntismord (English: Säntis murder) happened in the winter of 1922. It refers to a crime in which the weather station keeper Heinrich Haas and his wife Maria Magdalena were murdered. The murder was only discovered because of missing weather reports on 21 February. As a result of the missing reports, a search party was sent to Säntis, where they discovered the bodies. The prime suspect was shoemaker Gregor Anton Kreuzpointner, who committed suicide three weeks after the murder. The truth about this double murder hence remains unclear to this day.[8][9]
Lightning measurements station
Säntis has one of the highest rate of lightning strikes in Europe. In 2010 a lightning measurement station was installed atop a 120 m (390 ft) tall telecommunications tower on the mountain by the Electromagnetic Compatibility Lab of the EPFL in Lausanne. The station automatically records about one gigabyte of data per strike and then notifies researchers. In the first nine months of operation it recorded about 50 strikes, including 7 positive lightning strikes.[10]
Since 2021, a research consortium led by
Economy
Transmission tower
Located at the peak of Säntis is a 123.55 meter high transmission tower, which was commissioned in November 1997. The original tower, built in 1955, had to be renovated several times due to the rough weather conditions before finally being replaced. The antenna of the new transmission tower got a fibre-glass enforced plastic layer on the outside in order to prevent ice falling onto the visitors' terrace. Swiss radio channels such as DRS 1, DRS 2, DRS 3, RSR la Première and RSI Rete Uno are broadcast from the tower. Swiss television channels such as SF 1, SF 2, SF Info, TSR 1 and TSI 1 are also broadcast from this location.
Tourism
Today, the summit is easily accessible by
Miscellaneous
In honour of the Swiss National Day, which is celebrated 1 August each year, the world's largest Swiss flag was to be seen on Säntis from 31 July – 2 August 2009. The square national flag was 120 meters each side and weighed 1.2 tons. The flag ripped on 2 August 2009 due to strong winds in the area.[14][15]
See also
- List of most isolated mountains of Switzerland
- List of mountains of Switzerland accessible by public transport
References
- ^ Retrieved from Google Earth. The nearest point of higher elevation is north of the Magerrain.
- ^ Information retrieved on 5 March 2014 from Core Europe 50 Most Prominent Peaks (peakbagger.com) and European Russia and the Caucasian states (peaklist.org)
- ^ Albert Heim: Säntis-Panorama.
- ^ Peterson, Adam (20 September 2016), English: Köppen climate types of Switzerland, retrieved 11 February 2019
- ^ "Climate Normals Säntis (Reference period 1991−2020)" (PDF). Swiss Federal Office of Meteorology and Climatology, MeteoSwiss. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
- ^ "Säntis (06680) - WMO Weather Station". NOAA. Retrieved 10 February 2019.
- ^ Gottlieb Lüthi und Carl Egloff: Das Säntis-Gebiet. Illustrierter Touristenführer, Fehr'sche Buchhandlung St. Gallen (1904) S. 102-103
- ^ Werner Kamber: Bergdrama im Wetterhäuschen. Vor 80 Jahren: Doppelmord am Säntis Die Alpen 12/2002
- ^ Gottlieb Lüthi, Carl Egloff und Karl Kleine: Das Säntis-Gebiet. Illustrierter Führer, Fehr'sche Buchhandlung St. Gallen (1946) 6. Auflage S. 111
- ^ Barraud, Emmanuel (7 February 2011). "Lightning does actually strike in the same place twice!". Retrieved 29 May 2018.
- ^ Prisco, Jacopo (12 July 2021). "Scientists are trying to control lightning with a giant laser". CNN. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Frey, Andreas (10 August 2021). "Die Zähmung des Himmels" [The taming of the sky] (in German). Frankfurter Allgemeine. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ "Superlaser als Blitzableiter – Forscher hoffen auf Gewittersommer" [Super laser as lightning rod – Researchers hope for thunderstorm summer] (in German). MDR. 1 June 2021. Retrieved 12 September 2021.
- ^ Bericht auf www.tagblatt.ch vom 31. Juli 2009 (abgefragt am 3. August 2009)
- ^ 20 Minuten, Printausgabe vom 3. August 2009
External links
- Säntis on SummitPost
- Säntis on GeoFinder.ch
- Säntis Sepp-Webcam
- Säntis-Schwebebahn AG (in German)
- Säntis: pictures