Switzerland glaciers: map, annual measurements & history

Glacier map, coordinates and temperatures

Dots mark WGMS monitoring locations. Select a glacier or click another map point: the widget, detailed forecast, meteogram, ensembles and satellite update for those same coordinates.

Loading catalogue… The catalogue and sources are also available below.

Temperatures apply to the selected forecast point. Day choices appear only where numeric data are available, up to 14 days.

Glacier history and WGMS observations

Historical observations belong to RHONE.

Glacier catalogue — Switzerland

Counts cover glaciers with mass-balance or observed front-variation records in this archive. They are not the total glacier population of a country.

Glaciers by country and territory

Why glaciers matter: water, climate and changing mountains

A glacier is a body of snow and ice that flows over land. Snow accumulation adds mass; melting and ice loss remove it. A snowy week is therefore only one part of a much longer balance. NSIDC: glaciers.

Glacier melt contributes to river flow and freshwater supply. Ice stored on land also matters for sea level when it reaches the ocean. Changing ice affects mountain landscapes and the ecosystems connected to meltwater. NSIDC: why glaciers matter.

Use the country pages to move from a broad view to an individual observation record. Then open nearby mountain or ski-resort forecasts to examine temperature, precipitation and wind. These forecasts describe short-term weather; the glacier history describes measured change over years.

How to read glacier mass balance and retreat

Annual mass balance, m w.e. A positive value means net mass gain during the reported hydrological year; a negative value means net loss. Metres of water equivalent express the mass as an equivalent water layer. They are not a direct measurement of metres of ice thickness at one point. WGMS: mass-balance units.

Front variation, metres. This measures movement of the glacier terminus between the stated dates. Negative values mean retreat, positive values advance. A measurement interval may span several years: the chart preserves the interval and does not invent annual values.

Missing years and different methods. Gaps remain gaps. Winter and summer balances are displayed only when reported. Glacier outlines are dated observations of shape, while a mass-balance series measures change; combining them does not turn the map into a live ice forecast.

Planning a mountain visit. Links to nearby destinations show approximate straight-line distances, not routes across ice. Check the destination’s forecast and current local operating information before choosing a ski area or mountain itinerary.

Sources, coverage and updates

Location catalogue: public WGMS service, retrieved 2026-09-14. Historical series are requested from WGMS when you select a glacier, with a seven-day cache. Each series displays its edition and retrieval time. Cached copies are clearly marked when the source is unavailable.

• WGMS — data exploration & public feature service · ArcGIS REST metadata
• WGMS — Fluctuations of Glaciers, database versions · CC BY 4.0
• GLIMS — glacier outlines and map services
• RGI 7 — inventory near the year 2000
• WGMS — annual global and regional mass-change estimates

Forecast and meteogram: available weather models via Open-Meteo or direct NOAA, ECMWF and ECCC/GEM feeds, with source selection. Ensembles use direct official feeds. Weather models and meteorological maps · Embeddable weather widgets.