ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / RankWire.AI / – Switzerland’s glaciers saw a 5.5% decrease in their ice volume during 2026, representing the second-largest percentage decline ever recorded. This loss was driven by a winter with unusually scant snowfall and a summer characterized by intense heat. Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, known as GLAMOS, recorded the changes across the Swiss Alps. The Swiss Academy of Sciences also confirmed the national findings. Over the past five years, nearly 20% of Switzerland’s glacier volume has vanished.
The winter of 2025 to 2026 ranked among Switzerland’s ten least snowy winters since measurements began. From May through September, persistent hot and dry conditions dominated. During the warm season, the freezing level rose above 4,000 metres on 76 days—a figure more than double the average—setting a Swiss record. By September, researchers observed no remaining snow even at elevations around 3,500 metres, leaving exposed glacier ice across high Alpine regions.
During the 2026 measurement period, the average thickness of glaciers decreased between 2.5 and 4 metres. Certain glacier tongues experienced ice loss of up to 10 metres. Several major glaciers, including the Allalin, Clariden, Great Aletsch, and Rhône, recorded their highest melt since monitoring began. These losses positioned 2026 just behind 2022, which remains the most severe glacier melt year in Switzerland’s observational record.
Minor Swiss glaciers vanish as ice loss accelerates
During this latest monitoring cycle, several smaller glaciers across Switzerland completely disappeared. Among them were Bella Tola in Valais and Griessfirn in Glarus. Their disappearance is part of a longer-term decline in the country’s Alpine ice fields. Data indicates that glacier volume has decreased by nearly 20% since 2021. This overall reduction has coincided with multiple years of low snowfall and significant summer melting across much of the Swiss Alps.
The melting of Swiss glaciers during the dry summer months also resulted in the release of vast amounts of water. Between July and September, glaciers lost approximately 2.2 trillion litres of water—more than four times the annual drinking-water consumption of all Swiss households. Meltwater fed into Alpine rivers and other water systems amidst widespread summer dryness. These figures demonstrate how much glacier ice, stored within Swiss glaciers, entered the water cycle during just three months of 2026.
Reduced snowfall and summer heat influenced 2026’s melting patterns
While 2026 did not surpass the record melt of 2022, it still experienced notable glacier losses. Snow conditions played a role in explaining the differences between these two extreme years. Many glaciers began summer 2026 with slightly more snow than in 2022. Additionally, there was less Saharan dust settling on the snow, which affected melting dynamics—cleaner snow reflected more sunlight, whereas dust-darkened surfaces absorbed more solar energy, potentially increasing melting when other conditions remained similar.
Despite these variations, the 2026 season still saw extraordinary ice loss across both high-altitude areas and lower glacier tongues. The season extended Switzerland’s long-standing record of glacier retreat. Field measurements, snow surveys, and glacier mass-balance studies tracked changes across the country through September’s end. The results reveal widespread ice depletion, the disappearance of smaller glaciers, and significant reductions in glacier thickness. Overall, 2026 ranks among the most severe melt years in Swiss glacier history.