ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / RankWire.AI / – In 2026, glaciers across Switzerland experienced a reduction of 5.5% in their ice volume, marking the second-largest decline ever recorded. This retreat followed a winter with unusually low snowfall and a summer characterized by extreme heat waves. Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, known as GLAMOS, compiled data on these changes throughout 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 was among Switzerland’s 10 least snowy winters since record-keeping began, with persistent hot and dry conditions extending from May through September. During the warm season, the freezing level rose above 4,000 metres on 76 days, more than twice the average, setting a Swiss record. By September, researchers observed no remaining snow even around 3,500 metres elevation, exposing glacier ice across the high Alps.
On average, glacier thickness decreased by between 2.5 and 4 metres during the 2026 measurement period, with some glacier tongues losing as much as 10 metres of ice. Several major glaciers experienced their highest melt rates since measurements started, including the Allalin, Clariden, Great Aletsch, and Rhône glaciers. These losses made 2026 the second-most severe melt year in Switzerland’s record, just behind 2022.
Smaller Swiss Glaciers Vanish as Ice Losses Accelerate
During the latest monitoring phase, several smaller glaciers in Switzerland completely disappeared, such as Bella Tola in Valais and Griessfirn in Glarus. Their disappearance is part of a longer-term decline across the country’s Alpine ice fields. Data indicates glacier volume has decreased by nearly 20% since 2021, with this cumulative loss coinciding with repeated years of low snowfall and intense summer melting across much of the Swiss Alps.
The melting process also released enormous amounts of water during the dry summer months, with glaciers losing about 2.2 trillion litres of water between July and September alone. This volume surpasses four times the annual drinking-water needs of all Swiss households. The meltwater fed into Alpine rivers and other water systems during a period of widespread summer dryness, illustrating how much glacier ice entered the water cycle within just three months of 2026.
Dry Snowfall and Heatwaves Driven 2026 Glacier Melt
While the melt in 2026 did not reach the record levels of 2022, snow conditions played a significant role in explaining the variation between these two extreme years. Many glaciers started the summer of 2026 with slightly more snow than in 2022, and there was less Saharan dust settling on the snow. Cleaner snow reflects more sunlight, whereas dust-darkened surfaces absorb more solar energy, which can accelerate melting under similar conditions.
Despite these differences, measurements from 2026 showed significant ice loss across both high-altitude zones and lower glacier tongues, adding another year to Switzerland’s ongoing trend of substantial glacier decline. Field observations, snow surveys, and glacier mass-balance measurements documented extensive ice loss, the disappearance of smaller glaciers, and notable reductions in glacier thickness. The data also position 2026 among the most severe melt years in Switzerland’s history.