This year has been ‘devastating’ for Switzerland’s glaciers, a new study has warned.
Scientists from ETH Zurich visited 23 glaciers for end-of-summer measurements of both ice melt and snow accumulation.
Their results show that in total, the glaciers have lost 5.5 per cent of their ice volume so far this year.
On average, glacier thickness has decreased by 2.9m (9.5ft), while some glacier tongues have lost a staggering 10m (32ft) of ice.
Sadly, several smaller glaciers have melted entirely – with some lost forever.
‘Photographic reports clearly indicate the complete demise of the Bella Tola Gletscher and Griessfiren/Plattalvafirn, two glaciers with previously extensive glaciological measurement series,’ the researchers explained.
Scientists from ETH Zurich visited 23 glaciers for end–of–summer measurements of both ice melt and snow accumulation. Their results show that in total, the glaciers have lost 5.5 per cent of their ice volume so far this year
The Rhône, Aletsch, and Clariden (pictured) glaciers experienced their greatest melt on record in 2026, according to the researchers.
For the study, the team took measurements from 23 glaciers to understand how they’ve changed over the last year.
Overall, the results reveal an ‘extraordinary ice loss’.
‘After a winter season with very little snow, especially in the Eastern and Southern parts of the Alps, long–lasting and intense heat waves between May and September quickly pushed the mass balance to the second–lowest value on record after 2022,’ they explained in their report.
The Rhône, Aletsch, and Clariden glaciers experienced their greatest melt on record in 2026, according to the researchers.
Meanwhile, several smaller glaciers – including Bella Tola in canton of Valais and Griessfirn in canton Glarus – disappeared completely and permanently.
Looking at the last five years, Switzerland’s glaciers have lost a whopping 20 per cent of their volume.
In terms of what’s behind this ice loss, the researchers point to two key factors – low snowfall, and hot and dry conditions.
The winter of 2025-2026 was among the ten least snowy winters in Switzerland since records began.
This snow-free winter was then followed by hot and dry conditions between May and September, leading to excessive melt rates up to the highest elevations.
For the study, the team took measurements from 23 glaciers to understand how they’ve changed over the last year. Overall, the results reveal an ‘extraordinary ice loss’
Looking at the last five years, Switzerland’s glaciers have lost a whopping 20 per cent of their volume
‘For 76 days summer heatwaves pushed the freezing point to elevations above 4,000 metres – more than twice the average and a Swiss record,’ the researchers said.
‘By September no snow remained even at 3,500 metres leaving glaciers without a protective snow cover.’
The Matterhorn – the famous mountain that straddles Switzerland and Italy – is currently snow-free.
Famously featured on the Toblerone packaging, the mountain is stunningly bare of ice and snow despite it being well into the normal snow season.
In a normal year, mid-September would have brought early autumn snowstorms and freezing temperatures to cover the summit and lower rocks in ice.
On social media, one user shared a photograph captured by a webcam at the Cervino Ski Paradise resort, writing: ‘No, that is not a mountain in some desert. That is the Matterhorn on September 27, 2026.’
Other users shared images of what the Matterhorn looked like exactly one year ago, revealing its flanks covered with a deep coat of white snow.
Glaciologists on the Findel Glacier in canton Valais. The ice around the Matterhorn continues to recede dramatically, and the glacier’s foreland, with its lakes and scree, is expanding
The news comes shortly after a map revealed the fate of every single glacier on Earth.
Called the Global Glacier Extinction Explorer, the interactive tool is the brainchild of scientists from ETH Zurich and Vrije Universiteit Brussel.
By zooming in, you can investigate whether a glacier is expected to disappear under different levels of global warming.
The map also reveals approximately when this could happen.
‘Global numbers such as glacier mass or area loss can feel very abstract,’ said Dr Lander Van Tricht.
‘With this website, people can zoom into their own valley or mountain region and see what different levels of global warming could mean for the glaciers they know.’
Worryingly, the scientists say that nearly half of today’s glaciers could disappear by 2100 if global warming remains at +1.5°C – with catastrophic consequences.