Current Heatwave in the Alps Increases Glacier Melt

8th August 2024

Last modified on August 15th, 2024

Only four glacier ski areas are open in the Alps with rapidly deteriorating conditions. Mont Blanc has seen some unprecedented high temperatures as the Alps heats up. UPDATED

The summit of Mont Blanc was above freezing for 33 consecutive hours August 10^th – 11^th.

Meterologists are describing the situation as “unprecedented”.

It is rare for temperatures to climb above freezing on Mont Blanc, but this has already happened three times this summer.

Mont Blanc is the tallest mountain in Western Europe at 4,809m.

The high temperatures are accelerating the retreat of the massive glaciers covering the highest parts of Mont Blanc and the surrounding peaks.

The high temperatures are increasing the melting of permafrost, thus destabilising the rocks on the mountain.

Mont Blanc, France. Image © PlanetSKI

Switzerland has the most glaciers of any alpine nation.

It has 1,800 out of a total of 5,000 across the Alps.

In Switzerland there’s a level 4 warning for the southern side of the Alps and the Federal Government has warned that it is ‘intensifying’.

A level 4 warning is issued if the average daily temperature is 27 degrees or more on at least three days.

A level 3 heat warning has been issued for Ticino, the Geneva basin, the Valais, Basel and the Rhine Valley and the Lake Geneva basin for the next few days.

In Valais and the Lake Geneva region there were temperatures of 32 to 35 degrees last Sunday.

Temperatures in the Basel region and the Rhine Valley are also likely to reach the threshold values of a heatwave with 31 to 33 degrees in the lowlands.

A level 3 warning is issued if the temperatures are expected to be 25 degrees or higher for at least three consecutive days.

The warm temperatures mean the freezing level is at more than 3,500m overnight and any precipitation falls as rain, not snow.

During the day it has been +10°C at 3,000m.

The hot temperatures have been caused by the Jet Stream moving to just north of the UK and it is sucking in hot air over the Alps from southern Europe and North Africa.

It has sped up the alpine glacier melt after a hopeful early summer in Switzerland.

White mountains for how much longer?
Swiss #glaciers have transited into the phase of net loss for the year 2024 this weekend. Every additional warm day leads to unsustainable loss of glacier ice. Still several summer weeks ahead, bad news despite the good winter! Just too hot 🥵 pic.twitter.com/dS1Qx0EsAs
— Matthias Huss (@matthias_huss) August 13, 2024