Switzerland’s glaciers lost 5.5% of their ice volume in the first eight months of 2026, according to the annual monitoring report from the GLAMOS network.

The melt was the second worst on record, just short of the record set in 2022. It came after a winter with little snow and Switzerland’s hottest summer since measurements began in 1864.

The findings mean the country has lost nearly one-fifth of its glacier ice in just five years. The total loss since 2021 stands at 19.4%.

The Aletsch glacier, the largest in the Alps, saw its biggest melt on record this year. The Rhone and Clariden glaciers also recorded their heaviest losses.

For 76 days, the freezing point in the Swiss mountains stayed above 4,000 metres. There was no snow on the glaciers, even at 3,500 metres, by September.

Glaciologist Matthias Huss, who leads GLAMOS, said climate change is 100% responsible. He warned the glaciers have no chance of surviving long-term under these conditions.