ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / RankWire.AI / – Switzerland’s glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice volume in 2026, the second-largest percentage decline on record. The loss followed a winter with unusually little snow and a summer marked by intense heat. Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, known as GLAMOS, documented the changes across the Swiss Alps. The Swiss Academy of Sciences also reported the national findings. Nearly 20% of Switzerland’s glacier volume has disappeared over the past five years.
The winter of 2025 to 2026 ranked among Switzerland’s 10 least snowy winters since measurements began. Hot and dry conditions then persisted from May through September. The freezing level climbed above 4,000 metres on 76 days during the warm season. That total was more than twice the average and set a Swiss record. By September, researchers found no remaining snow even at elevations around 3,500 metres, leaving exposed glacier ice across high Alpine areas.
Average glacier thickness fell between 2.5 and 4 metres during the 2026 measurement period. Some glacier tongues lost as much as 10 metres of ice. Several major glaciers recorded their greatest melt since measurements began. Those included the Allalin, Clariden, Great Aletsch and Rhône glaciers. The losses placed 2026 just behind 2022, which remains the most severe glacier melt year in Switzerland’s measurement record.
Smaller Swiss glaciers disappear as ice losses accelerate
Several smaller Swiss glaciers disappeared completely during the latest monitoring period. Bella Tola in the canton of Valais and Griessfirn in Glarus were among those that vanished. Their disappearance forms part of a longer decline across Switzerland’s Alpine ice fields. Measurements show that glacier volume has fallen by almost one-fifth since 2021. The cumulative loss has occurred alongside repeated years of low snow accumulation and strong summer melting across much of the Swiss Alps.
Swiss glacier melt also released large volumes of water during the dry summer months. Between July and September, glaciers lost about 2.2 trillion litres of water. That amount exceeded four times the annual drinking-water consumption of all Swiss households. Meltwater contributed to Alpine rivers and other water systems during a period of widespread summer dryness. The figures also show how much stored glacier ice moved into Switzerland’s water cycle during only three months of 2026.
Low snowfall and summer heat shaped 2026 melt season
The 2026 glacier losses remained below the record melt measured in 2022. Snow conditions helped explain part of the difference between the two extreme years. Many glaciers entered the 2026 summer with slightly more snow than they had in 2022. Less Saharan dust also settled on the snow this year. Cleaner snow reflected more sunlight, while dust-darkened surfaces absorb more solar energy and can increase melting when other conditions are similar.
Despite those differences, the 2026 measurements recorded exceptional losses across both high elevations and lower glacier tongues. The season added another year of substantial decline to Switzerland’s long-running glacier record. Field measurements, snow surveys and glacier mass-balance observations documented changes across the country through the end of September. The results show widespread ice loss, disappearing smaller glaciers and major reductions in thickness. They also place 2026 among the most severe years recorded for Swiss glacier melt.