Swiss Glaciers Lose 5% Ice in 2026 Amid Heat and Drought

Climate Change Devastating Year for Switzerland’s Glaciers

2026-10-02 Source: ETH Zurich 2 min Reading Time

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Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than five per cent of their ice volume in 2026 following a winter with little snow and an exceptionally warm, dry summer. The latest monitoring report puts the cumulative loss over five years at nearly 20 percent, with some smaller glaciers disappearing completely.

Extent of ice loss at Konkordiaplatz on the Great Aletsch Glacier, canton Valais between 2022 and 2026, compared with the average of measurements taken between 1953 and 1983.(Source: M. Huss / A. Linsbauer) — Extent of ice loss at Konkordiaplatz on the Great Aletsch Glacier, canton Valais between 2022 and 2026, compared with the average of measurements taken between 1953 and 1983.
(Source: M. Huss / A. Linsbauer)

Switzerland’s glaciers lost more than five per cent of their ice volume in 2026. While the overall the record melt rates of 2022 were not quite reached, on average, glacier thickness decreased by 2.5 to 4 metres this year, and some glacier tongues lost up to 10 metres of ice.

Some smaller glaciers melted completely

The Rhône, Aletsch, and Clariden glaciers, among others, experienced their greatest melt on record in 2026. Several smaller glaciers disappeared completely and permanently, including Bella Tola in canton of Valais and Griessfirn in canton Glarus. Nearly 20 per cent of Switzerland’s glacier volume has disappeared in the past five years alone. The new data highlights how rapidly Switzerland's glacier landscape is changing.

Gallery

Glaciologists on the Findel Glacier in canton Valais. The ice around the Matterhorn continues to recede dramatically, and the glacier’s foreland, with its lakes and scree, is expanding.(Source: M. Huss)

The Claridenfirn glacier in canton Glarus is completely free of snow in September 2026.(Source: M. Huss)

A great deal of water flows through blue caves beneath the glacier, as seen here on the Great Aletsch Glacier, canton Valais.(Source: M. Huss)

The tongue of the Rhône Glacier, canton Valais with an impressive glacier gate.(Source: M. Huss)

Gallery with 5 images

This season’s findings are presented in the annual report of the Swiss Academy of Sciences (Scnat) and based on data reported by Glamos — the Glacier Monitoring Network’s long-term monitoring of Swiss glaciers. Glamos is headquartered at ETH Zurich and the universities of Fribourg and Zurich in Switzerland.

Heat and lack of snow accelerated the loss

The winter of 2025 - 2026 was among the ten least snowy winters in the country since the start of such measurements. Hot and dry conditions between May and September 2026 followed, leading to excessive melt rates up to the highest elevations. For 76 days summer heatwaves pushed the freezing point to elevations above 4,000 metres - more than twice the average and a Swiss record. By September no snow remained even at 3,500 metres leaving glaciers without a protective snow cover.

Glacier melt temporarily supports water shortages

From July to September, Swiss glaciers released around 2,200 billion litres of water — more than four times the annual drinking-water consumption of Swiss households. While glacier melt helped reduce summer water shortages, this contribution is a declining resource as the amount of glacier area continues to irreversibly shrink.

Reference: Huss M, Bauder A, Linsbauer A, Barandun M: GLAMOS 2026 Annual mass balance on Swiss glaciers in 2025/2026, Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, 1 October 2026, doi:10.18752/annualrep_2026.

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