Record Low Snowfall on Austria's Glaciers Signals Alarm

As the 2025 melting season commences, glaciers across Austria are witnessing the lowest snow accumulation ever recorded. Experts in glaciology, including Andrea Fischer and Hans Wiesenegger, have expressed deep concern over this unprecedented lack of snow, which could lead to significant ice loss and a potential record melt this summer.

While high temperatures have been recorded, the primary issue highlighted by Fischer is the severe lack of precipitation, which poses serious challenges for glacier stability and longevity. The situation mirrors, and may even exceed, the alarming conditions observed in 2022, where glaciers experienced up to six meters of additional ice loss due to an earlier onset and extended duration of melting.

Fischer emphasized that the lack of snow is particularly problematic for the glaciers in western Austria, where a dry winter has left many glaciers exposed. Even by early May, bare ice was visible across numerous glacier regions, not limited to lower elevations. Reports indicate that many glaciers are missing up to 35% of their typical snow cover.

One particularly stark example is the Stubacher Sonnblickkees in the Hohe Tauern region, which is currently about 2.5 meters short of the long-term average snow levels. Measurements taken at the nearby Rudolfshütte station reveal a concerning trend, as snow accumulation usually peaks by early May.

In the Ötztal Alps, the Seekarlesferner glacier has reported a snow deficit nearing 35%. Some glacier tongues, including those on the Pasterze and Dachstein, have already developed visible cracks and exposed ice that would normally be covered by meters of snow at this time of year.

The situation is even more dire in areas where snowfall was minimal last autumn, or where winds have further eroded the snow cover. For instance, the Jamtalferner in Galtür is reported to have less than one meter of snow on its tongue, with initial patches of ice already melting. In the higher regions of this glacier, only slightly more than two meters of snow has been observed, marking a historical low for winter snow accumulation.

Experts predict substantial ice loss during the summer of 2025. If glaciers begin to expose their ice as early as June, rather than the typical mid-July timeframe, the melting season may extend by as much as two months. This could result in an additional ice loss of up to six meters, potentially doubling the losses recorded in 2022, where glaciers typically lost between three to four meters of ice. Each day without a protective snow cover equates to an approximate loss of ten centimeters of ice thickness, creating an urgent situation for these vital natural resources.

The comparatively high winter temperatures are considered less threatening to the glaciers themselves, yet they significantly affect permafrost stability.