Swiss glaciers lost about 5.5% of their ice volume in 2026, the third-largest annual loss since measurements began, according to the yearly report from the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) and the Swiss Commission for Cryosphere Observation. Over the past five years, the country has lost 19.4% of its glacier ice, close to a fifth. Only 2022, when the loss was about 5.9%, and 2003 saw bigger drops. The figures cover roughly the first eight months of the year, and the volume lost is estimated at 2.5 cubic kilometres.

The mean thickness of glaciers fell by between 2.5 and 4 metres, and some glacier tongues thinned by as much as 10 metres. Scientists point to a winter with about 25% less snow than average, followed by a summer of repeated heatwaves. According to the report, the freezing level stood above 4,000 metres on 76 days. Even at 3,500 metres, researchers found no snow left at the end of summer. Snow acts as 'food' for a glacier, and without it the ice cannot replenish itself. 'It's really just disastrous,' said Matthias Huss, a glaciologist at ETH Zürich, the Swiss technical university, who leads the monitoring work.

The loss fell just short of the 2022 record for several reasons. A cool, snowy spell in early May helped slightly, and less Saharan dust settled on the snow. The dust darkens the surface and speeds up melting. MeteoSwiss, the national weather service, found that the April–September period was the hottest and driest since records began in 1864. Europe is warming about twice as fast as the global average, and the Alps are among the most affected regions.

The pace of change is what alarms researchers. Until recently, a 2% loss in one year was considered extreme in the Alps. In the 1990s about 10% of glacier ice was lost over the decade, 14% in the following ten years, and more than a quarter in the last decade. Huss also describes glaciers collapsing from within, as meltwater streams carve caverns beneath the ice. Dozens of small glaciers probably vanished this year, though a full count will only come with the next inventory in about two years. The former Plattalva or Griess glacier has lost 99% of its area in 20 years, and the Bella Tola glacier disappeared this summer. At Gletsch, where the Rhône glacier once reached the Grand Hotel Glacier du Rhône, the ice is no longer visible from the village.

The consequences extend beyond the landscape. Between July and September, meltwater from the glaciers was more than four times the drinking water use of all Swiss households, which helped in a dry summer. But as the ice shrinks, that buffer will decline, with implications for farming, hydropower and transport. Loss of ice and thawing permafrost can also destabilise slopes and raise landslide risks. Scientists say the outlook depends on emissions: for some glaciers like the Griess it is already too late, but for others cutting greenhouse gases can still make a difference.