First snow to dust the Swiss Alps and mountain passes this week

Switzerland may have enjoyed some relatively sunny and warm days so far in October, but be prepared as snow is on its way to the Swiss Alps, reminding us all that winter is fast approaching.

Warm Indian summer comes to an end

This week began with a touch of Indian summer (Altweibersommer), a common phenomenon that brings warmer-than-usual temperatures at a time of year when it's usually cold. Most major cities have been basking in temperatures of 20 degrees celsius and above in recent weeks.

While perfect for pumpkin picking and spotting meteor showers, come Thursday, October 8, the weather is set to change. A cold front is expected to sweep into Switzerland from the west, reports SRF Meteo, bringing a drop in temperature, some wet weather and the season’s first snow at higher altitudes.

Snow forecast for Swiss mountain passes on Thursday

Overnight on Thursday, the snow line is predicted to drop to around 2.000 metres, and popular alpine roads, including the Gotthard, Furka, Grimsel and Susten passes, could well get a good dose of snow.

Between 10 and 20 centimetres of snow is possible, with the heaviest snowfall reaching from “the Bernese Oberland across the Alps of central and eastern Switzerland to northern Graubünden,” explains meteorologist Peter Wick. If you plan to head out on a scenic drive this weekend, it may be best to make sure you’ve made the switch to winter tyres.

On Friday, the Swiss weather forecast predicts that the snow line will drop further to around 1.200 metres. Temperatures will plummet in the lowlands too, with highs of around 14 degrees in most cities. The weekend will stay cooler, but the sun will likely shine and bring some very autumnal, fresh weather. 

Swiss glaciers suffer record ice loss in 2026

Cooler temperatures will come as a relief to many, particularly after some stark warnings from Mattias Huss, glaciologist at ETH Zurich and head of the Swiss glacier monitoring network GLAMOS.

According to recent studies, glaciers in Switzerland are dramatically disappearing thanks to climate change and “can no longer be saved”, even with efforts to limit future CO2 emissions. Eighty to 90 percent of “ice mass” will be gone by 2100, reports Tages-Anzeiger. 

The never-ending heatwaves of 2026 contributed to 5,5 per percent of glacier ice volume in Switzerland melting away. This year was “catastrophic”, said Huss and there are now just 42,6 cubic kilometres of ice volume in Swiss glaciers. Back in 1960, the number was 89,1 cubic kilometres.