Glaciers in Switzerland lost 5.5% of their total ice volume in 2026 after a long, hot summer. This is one of the worst annual ice losses ever recorded in the country, close to the record 6% drop in 2022. Scientists say that global warming is accelerating the melt, turning once ice-covered mountain peaks into dry and dead rocky landscapes.
Dr. Matthias Huss, director of Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, reported that even at elevations 3,500 meters above sea level, no snow remained by the end of summer. Without winter snow surviving to protect and build new ice, major glaciers such as the Rhône and Aletsch suffered their highest ice losses on record this year.
The rapid melting threatens essential water supplies across Europe. Swiss glaciers store winter snow and release fresh water into major rivers like the Rhine and the Danube. During this summer's heat, low river levels brought freight river transport to a standstill and forced some nuclear power plants to temporarily stop operations because they lacked enough water for cooling.
The loss of ice and the thawing of permafrost, the permanently frozen ground in the mountains, also make mountain slopes unstable and increase the risk of landslides and flash floods. Experts warn that if global temperatures continue to rise at current rates, all glaciers in the Swiss Alps could disappear by the end of this century.