ZURICH, SWITZERLAND / RankWire.AI / – In 2026, Switzerland’s glaciers experienced a 5.5% reduction in their ice volume, marking the second-largest decline ever documented. This significant loss was driven by a winter with notably scarce snowfall and a summer characterized by extreme heat. Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, also known as GLAMOS, tracked these 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.
During the winter of 2025 to 2026, Switzerland recorded one of its ten least snowy winters since measurements began. Persistent hot and dry conditions then continued from May through September. The warm season saw the freezing level rise above 4,000 metres on 76 days, more than double the average, setting a Swiss record. By September, researchers observed no remaining snow at elevations around 3,500 metres, exposing glacier ice across high Alpine regions.
Measurements indicated that the average glacier thickness decreased between 2.5 and 4 metres during 2026. Some glacier tongues lost as much as 10 metres of ice. Several major glaciers, including the Allalin, Clariden, Great Aletsch and Rhône, reported their most substantial melt since records began. These losses positioned 2026 just behind 2022, which remains the most severe glacier melt year in Switzerland’s history.
Decline of Smaller Swiss Glaciers Accelerates as Ice Losses Mount
During this monitoring cycle, numerous smaller glaciers across Switzerland completely disappeared, such as Bella Tola in Valais and Griessfirn in Glarus. Their vanishing is part of a broader trend of declining ice across the Swiss Alps. Data shows that glacier volume has diminished by nearly 20% since 2021. This ongoing decline correlates with multiple years of reduced snowfall and intense summer melting over much of the Swiss mountain range.
In addition to ice loss, Swiss glaciers released vast quantities of water during the dry summer months. Between July and September, glaciers contributed approximately 2.2 trillion litres of meltwater—more than four times Switzerland’s annual drinking water needs for all households. This meltwater fed rivers and other water systems amid widespread summer dryness, highlighting how a small window of three months in 2026 moved large amounts of glacier ice into the Swiss water cycle.
The 2026 Melt Season Was Shaped by Low Snowfall and Elevated Temperatures
Although the 2026 melt was below the record set in 2022, snow conditions played a key role in this difference. Many glaciers entered the summer with slightly more snow than in 2022, and fewer Saharan dust particles settled on the snowpack. Cleaner snow reflects more sunlight, reducing melting, whereas dust-darkened surfaces absorb more solar energy and can accelerate ice loss when other factors remain constant.
Despite these variations, the 2026 data shows extensive melting across both high-altitude zones and lower glacier tongues, adding another chapter to Switzerland’s long history of glacier decline. Field surveys, snow assessments, and glacier mass-balance measurements documented widespread ice loss, the disappearance of smaller glaciers, and significant reductions in glacier thickness. These findings position 2026 among the most impactful years in the Swiss glacier record for ice melt.