Switzerland's Rhône Glacier has lost more than four metres of ice in just one month after two periods of extreme heat in June and July. According to GLAMOS, the glacier has been melting at an average rate of around 10 centimetres a day, with low winter snowfall leaving the ice especially vulnerable.
The Rhône Glacier in southern Switzerland has lost more than four metres of ice in a single month after successive heatwaves swept across Europe, highlighting the growing impact of rising temperatures on Alpine glaciers.
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According to Switzerland's Glacier Monitoring Service (GLAMOS), the glacier has been melting at an average rate of around 10 centimetres a day since mid-June. Glaciologists say the combination of low winter snowfall and unusually high temperatures has left the ice exposed and vulnerable, raising concerns that 2026 could rival the record glacier losses recorded in 2022.
Researchers monitoring the site say the glacier is not only melting at the surface but also from below, where flowing meltwater is carving out large cavities that weaken the ice from within.
Matthias Huss, glaciologist and head of GLAMOS, explained:"This is a collapsing pit. The stream flowing beneath the glacier has carved out a large cavity. This cavity then collapsed. In recent years, we have been seeing more and more cases of glaciers melting from below, in addition to melting from above. These processes are eroding the glaciers from within. This is a major problem that is further accelerating the melting."
Measurements taken on the glacier illustrate just how quickly the ice has disappeared over the past few weeks. "We measure the amount of ice that melts. Since my last visit two weeks ago, we've lost 1.40 meters. That's a loss of 10 centimeters of ice per day! Since mid-June, when I first visited the Rhône Glacier this year, the loss has exceeded the height of this pole. So about 4 meters have disappeared in one month, between this point and that point. This is a significant amount of melting and, of course, very problematic for the glacier."
The rapid retreat is transforming the landscape, with the lower sections of the Rhône Glacier expected to disappear within years if current trends continue. "With these high melting rates, the glacier is retreating very rapidly. I think that in this area, there will be no more ice within 5 to 10 years. The glacier will only remain higher up on the mountain, where it's colder and there's more snow", explained the glaciologist.
Scientists say this year's poor conditions began long before the summer heat, as below-average snowfall left glaciers without the protective snow cover that normally slows melting. According to the glaciologist, "So far, 2026 has been a very bad year for glaciers. We had little snow this winter, which resulted in a poor protective layer for the ice. We experienced early heat waves in May, June, and now in July."
Glaciologists will continue monitoring the Rhône Glacier throughout the summer, but the latest measurements underline the accelerating pace of glacier retreat in the Swiss Alps.
