Europeans swap skiing for sunbathing in record mild autumn

0 Comments | AFP, December, 2006

PARIS (AFP) — An unusually warm autumn has broken records across Europe, leaving skiers short of snow in the Alps and Spanish sunbathers catching a late tan. The warmest autumn in three centuries in Britain and the Netherlands -- and over a hundred years in Germany, Italy and Switzerland -- fueled fears of global warming as well as immediate concerns for weather-dependent industries.

Highs of 26 degrees C (79 degrees F) on Spain's beaches left the sea warm enough for swimming well into November, while most ski stations throughout Europe remained closed due to a lack of snow. Switzerland's most temperate autumn since records began in 1864 also posed a major problem for the country's skiing industry. Businesses making a living off winter sports looked to the heavens as barren...