The low temperature was recorded in the mountain village of La Brevine in the Neuchatel canton, part of a region often called the "Swiss Siberia."

It was seven degrees Celsius less frigid than the national record low of minus 41.8 degrees, recorded in the same region on January 12, 1987, the weather office said.

The area in western Switzerland's, which adjoins a region popularly known just across the border as "French Siberia," experiences exceptionally low temperatures in wintertime due to a "sink" effect which traps cold air in the valleys.

Temperatures elsewhere in Switzerland were less harsh but still very cold. The mercury sank to minus 15.6 degrees Celsius in the capital Bern overnight, the forecasters said.

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