Switzerland’s famous mountain glaciers have been melting at a near-record pace this year, with scientists warning the ice is disappearing faster than ever before.
Between January and August 2026, Swiss glaciers lost more than 5% of their ice, about one-twentieth of the total, according to Glacier Monitoring Switzerland. That is much higher than the 2% yearly loss that used to be considered extreme.
Since 2021, the glaciers have lost almost a fifth, or nearly one in every five parts, of all their ice. Some smaller glaciers have disappeared completely. In some places, the ice has become 8 to 13 feet thinner, roughly as tall as a small house.
Matthias Huss, who leads Glacier Monitoring Switzerland, said the melting had sped up so much that glaciers were falling apart, leaving behind what looks like “a rock desert” where thick ice used to be.
Scientists say the melting was caused by a very hot, dry stretch of weather between April and September 2026, the hottest and driest period recorded in Switzerland since 1864. Europe is warming faster than any other continent on Earth.
Melting glaciers can cause problems beyond the mountains too, including less water for farming and electricity, as well as a higher risk of landslides and floods as the land around them becomes unstable.
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