Heatwave Continues to Hit the Alps & Pyrenees
9th July 2026
Last modified on July 15th, 2026
The glaciers are melting at an increased rate with the handful of summer ski areas open suffering. In the Alps & the Pyrenees forest fires are raging as another summer heatwave continues. UPDATED
The Alps is experiencing another heatwave and this is set to be the longest with high temperatures continuing.
There was one in May, another in June and now one in July.
The freezing level in the Alps is well over 4,000m.
In Switzerland Level 3 heatwave warnings are currently in place.
During a Level 3 warning MeteoSwiss warns of a significant risk of health problems and physical discomfort.
There are temperatures of 31 to 35 degrees Celcius on the northern side of the Alps – up to 38 degrees in some areas.
On the southern side of the Alps, temperatures of 31 to 34 degrees are expected.
Minimum temperatures are ranging between 16 and 23 degrees both north and south of the Alps, though they will be a few degrees higher in urban areas.
Night-time minimum temperatures are between 15°C and 23°C, depending on the region.
There is a significant risk of forest fires across parts of the Alps and the Pyrenees.
In the France a 22-year-old firefighter died while tackling a wildfire in the Savoie region in the Alps.
France’s interior minister confirmed the fatality with “deep sadness”.
The blaze has burned hundreds of acres and is one of several major fires erupting amid extreme heat.
Across Europe 155,569 hectares have burnt so far this summer.
That’s below the 228,098 hectares at the same time last year that was Europe’s worst ever for wildfires; but scientists fear the early start to the fires may see 2026 exceed the 2025 total.
We have reported on the earlier heatwaves this summer and their impact on the Alps:
- European heatwave hit the glaciers in the Alps
- European heatwave hits glaciers hard
- ‘Glacier Loss Day’ in the Alps reached
There are a handful of glacier ski areas currently open in the Alps and the slopes are deteriorating:
- Austria: Hintertux
- France: Tignes
- Switzerland: Zermatt
- Italy: Cervinia & Passo Stelvio
However the high glacier areas are offering respite from the heat.
Tignes reports that hundreds of skiers are heading to the Grande Motte glacier above the resort to escape France’s heatwave and enjoy summer skiing and cooler temperatures.
Experts say the glacier is shrinking rapidly, with warnings it could disappear within 10 to 15 years.
Saas-Fee in Switzerland plans to open on 18th July and continue to 31st October.
Researchers monitoring the Rhone Glacier in the Swiss Alps warn that extreme temperatures have accelerated ice loss.
Some areas have lost nearly 1.5m of ice in the last two weeks.
According to scientists the glaciers have lost large amounts of stored water during the recent heatwave raising concerns over the growing impact of climate change.
The early disappearance of snow cover is leaving ancient ice exposed to further melting.
Scientists say the trend highlights the urgent need to address rising global temperatures and extreme weather events.
One initiative, the Waterwise Project, is collecting data from across the Alpine peaks to better understand the vulnerability of headwater catchments — the high-altitude streams that feed the continent’s major rivers.
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, IPCC, says the melting of Alpine glaciers threatens the water supply of mountain communities and the millions of people living downstream.
The Contamines-Montjoie Nature Reserve, near the French side of Mont Blanc, is one of pilot sites of the transnational Waterwise project.
It aims to model how alpine water resources will evolve under different climate scenarios and the various pressures that will affect these ecosystems in the future.
In the Pyrenees the glaciers have all but vanished, but the heatwave has led to huge forest fires in the French part of the mountain range.
In the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France a blaze has burnt 4,600 hectares since Saturday, 4th July, and forced the evacuation of 10,000 people.
“This morning conditions are deteriorating again,” Interior Minister Laurent Nunez cautioned on French TV station TF1 on Wednesday.
“Today the battle resumes.”
Authorities have warned that strong winds could further fan the wildfire.
Tour de France spectators were urged to stay away from the conclusion of the third stage of the cycling race on Monday to allow access for emergency vehicles to the area.
The third stage, which was 121 miles long, began in the Spanish city of Granollers and finished in the ski resort of Les Angles, located in the Pyrénées-Orientales region of France
We will be updating this post as the heatwave continues.
Do check back…
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