Switzerland’s iconic Matterhorn has lost almost all of its snow cover after an exceptionally hot and dry summer, offering a stark visual sign of the rapid changes unfolding across the Alps.

The 4,478-metre Matterhorn, one of Switzerland’s most recognisable peaks, was photographed in late September with large areas of bare rock where snow would normally be visible. Experts say the lack of snow at such high elevations is highly unusual for this time of year.

The Matterhorn’s appearance comes as Switzerland records another year of severe glacier melt. According to the Swiss Glacier Monitoring Network (GLAMOS) and the Swiss Academy of Sciences, Swiss glaciers lost more than 5 per cent of their ice volume in 2026, making it the second-largest annual percentage loss on record.

The scale of the loss is particularly significant because Switzerland’s glaciers have already shrunk dramatically. Nearly 20 per cent of the country’s glacier volume has disappeared in just five years, according to the latest monitoring data. Some smaller glaciers have disappeared completely.

Record heat and little winter snow

Scientists say the severe melt was driven by a combination of unusually low snowfall during the winter of 2025–26 and repeated heatwaves between May and September.

The winter was among Switzerland’s 10 least snowy since measurements began. During the summer, the freezing level remained above 4,000 metres for 76 days, more than twice the average and a Swiss record. By September, snow had disappeared even at elevations of around 3,500 metres.

Snow plays an important role in protecting glaciers. A layer of fresh snow reflects sunlight and shields the darker ice underneath from melting. It also provides the material needed to replenish glaciers over time. With less snow accumulating during winter, glaciers are left increasingly exposed to summer heat.

The consequences have been substantial. The average thickness of individual Swiss glaciers declined by between 2.5 and 4 metres this year, while some glacier tongues lost as much as 10 metres of ice. The Aletsch, Rhône, Allalin and Clariden glaciers recorded their greatest melt on record in 2026.

More than a changing landscape

The disappearance of snow and ice is not only transforming the appearance of the Alps. Between July and September, Swiss glaciers released around 2.2 trillion litres of water as they melted more than four times the annual drinking-water consumption of Swiss households. For now, this meltwater can help ease summer water shortages, but scientists warn that this benefit will diminish as the glaciers continue to shrink.

The Alps are also an important source of water for major European rivers, including the Rhine, Rhône, Po and Danube. Switzerland also relies heavily on hydropower, making changes in glacier and snowmelt relevant beyond the mountains themselves.

The snow-free Matterhorn therefore represents more than an unusual photograph. It is one visible sign of a much larger transformation in the Alpine environment that scientists say is being accelerated by rising temperatures and changing snowfall patterns.

India has ended the 2026 southwest monsoon with its lowest seasonal rainfall, driest monsoon in 11 years, with the country receiving 759.4 mm between June and September against a long-period average of 868.6 mm. The 12.6% deficit makes this the weakest monsoon since 2015 and the fourth-lowest since 2001, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The national figure, however, masks a much more uneven rainfall season. While some parts of the country received close to normal rainfall, large parts of eastern, northeastern and southern India experienced significant shortages.

Rainfall Shortfall Concentrated in Regions

The East and Northeast region recorded rainfall at about 74% of its long-period average, while South Peninsular India received about 76% of its average rainfall. The East and Northeast had their lowest southwest monsoon rainfall since 1901, while South Peninsular India recorded its second-lowest monsoon rainfall since 2001.

Of India’s 36 meteorological subdivisions, 17 recorded deficient rainfall, covering around 42% of the country’s geographical area. Another 18 subdivisions recorded normal rainfall. At the district level, 282 districts, or around 38% of the country’s districts, ended the season with deficient rainfall.

The uneven distribution matters because a national rainfall average does not translate into the same water availability everywhere. A district that receives normal rainfall cannot compensate for prolonged deficits in another region where agriculture, reservoirs or groundwater depend heavily on the monsoon.

Driest Monsoon: June’s Deficit Set the Tone

The shortfall was particularly pronounced at the beginning of the season. June rainfall was 35.4% below normal, followed by a 16.3% deficit in August and a 7.6% deficit in September. July was the exception, recording around 1% above normal rainfall.

The season also saw unusually frequent low-pressure systems. Fourteen such systems formed during the monsoon, producing 77 low-pressure-system days compared with the normal 57. According to IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, these systems helped prevent the seasonal deficit from becoming larger.

This uneven pattern is important for agriculture. A season can produce a near-normal rainfall total while still leaving crops exposed if rain arrives too late, falls in short intense spells or remains absent during critical stages of crop growth.

What does it Mean for Agriculture?

The immediate concern now shifts from kharif crops to the water conditions entering the rabi season. Lower rainfall can reduce soil moisture and leave rain-fed farming regions more dependent on stored water or irrigation. The impact will vary by crop and region rather than follow the national rainfall deficit directly.

The IMD had warned ahead of the monsoon that below-normal rainfall could create challenges for agriculture, water availability and hydropower, while increasing pressure on drinking-water resources.

The agricultural impact is already visible in some indicators. Kharif sowing stood at 110.8 million hectares as of September 25, about 1.2% below the previous year, while rice acreage was down 3.6%. Pulses, meanwhile, recorded an increase in acreage. The next concern is therefore not simply how much rain India received, but how much usable water remains available for farms, households and other sectors through the coming months.

El Niño Added Pressure

The weak monsoon developed alongside El Niño conditions in the tropical Pacific. The IMD had anticipated this risk before the season, forecasting in May that 2026 monsoon rainfall could be around 90% of the long-period average, with a model error of ±4%. It also gave a 60% probability of rainfall being in the deficient category.

By the end of the season, the IMD said El Niño conditions had strengthened and contributed to the rainfall deficit. The weather system is expected to persist into the coming months, although its influence on rainfall varies across regions and seasons.

The relationship between El Niño and the Indian monsoon is not absolute. Government data notes that, since 1950, there have been 16 El Niño years, of which seven were associated with below-normal Indian monsoon rainfall. The strength and timing of El Niño also influence its effect. The monsoon has ended, but the water story has not

The IMD expects October rainfall to remain below normal nationally, adding another layer of uncertainty after an already deficient southwest monsoon.

For India, the significance of the 2026 monsoon will therefore extend beyond the final 12.6% deficit. The more important questions are regional: which reservoirs have been replenished, where groundwater has taken a hit, how rain-fed farmers are entering the rabi season and whether drinking-water systems have enough buffer for a potentially drier post-monsoon period. The season is a reminder that rainfall totals alone cannot describe India’s water security. What matters on the ground is where the rain fell, when it fell and how much of it could be stored and used after the clouds cleared.

A grid can have thousands of wind turbines and millions of solar panels and still face an electricity shortage when the weather turns against renewable generation. The concern is not simply that wind or solar output falls. It is what happens when the decline comes quickly and continues for several days.

A new study published in Nature identifies these events as “flash energy droughts” and finds that climate change could make some of them last longer. The finding points to a growing challenge for power systems that are adding renewable generation faster than they are building the flexibility needed to manage its variability.

When Renewable Generation Suddenly Drops

An energy drought occurs when wind or solar farms produce unusually little electricity for a sustained period. The researchers add another feature to the definition: the decline must happen unusually quickly.

Using 1985–2014 as a historical baseline, they identified energy droughts when daily wind or solar capacity factors fell below the 10th percentile of the baseline for at least three consecutive days. Events with an unusually rapid decline into that low-output period were classified as flash energy droughts. When wind and solar shortages occurred together, they were treated as compound events.

For a power system, the speed of the decline matters. A gradual reduction gives grid operators more time to adjust generation, move electricity between regions, charge or preserve storage and manage demand. A rapid drop leaves fewer options.

Kavan Javanroodi, an Assistant Professor at Lund University who studies climate-resilient energy systems and extreme climate events, wrote in an accompanying Nature Climate Change commentary that rapid declines in renewable generation can leave electricity systems with little time to respond.

Longer Droughts Create Bigger Grid Problem

The researchers used climate-model projections and an electricity-dispatch model to examine how flash energy droughts could change under different future emissions scenarios. Under the relatively low-emissions SSP1-2.6 scenario, the projected duration of flash energy droughts increases by 25.6% for wind and 29.8% for solar.

The change is much larger for compound events affecting both resources. Their projected duration increases by 155.7% under the same scenario. That figure does not mean renewable electricity production will fall by 155.7%. It refers specifically to the modelled duration of compound flash energy droughts.

The study also estimates that around 70.8% of global wind and solar capacity could be exposed to increasing frequency and duration of flash energy droughts. The significance lies in the overlap between two trends: renewable generation is becoming a larger part of electricity systems, while climate change is altering the weather conditions that drive that generation.

When Wind and Solar Fall Together

Wind and solar are often considered complementary sources. Solar produces most of its electricity during daylight, while wind follows different weather patterns and can generate power at night. When one resource is weak, the other may help compensate. A compound energy drought removes some of that buffer.

The study finds that flash energy droughts can increase unserved energy, flexibility requirements and electricity costs, placing greater pressure on the rest of the power system.

This changes the storage question, too. A battery that shifts solar power from the afternoon into the evening can help with a daily peak. But if wind and solar remain unusually weak for several days, the problem becomes one of energy duration, not simply instantaneous power. A system may need electricity for longer than a conventional short-duration battery can provide it.

India’s Renewable Expansion

India is rapidly increasing its dependence on renewable electricity. As of August 31, 2026, the country had 168.04 GW of installed solar capacity and 58.52 GW of wind capacity, according to the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy. Total renewable capacity, including large hydropower, stood at about 295.55 GW. India’s renewable resources are also exposed to changing climate conditions.

A 2026 study in Applied Energy examining climate impacts on India’s solar and wind resources projected that solar photovoltaic generation potential could decline by up to 10% across the country under the scenarios studied. Changes in wind potential varied substantially by region, with projected changes ranging from about 20% lower to 30% higher. The study also projected increases in solar-generation drought days in several parts of India. But they underline the same planning challenge: renewable generation depends on a climate that is itself changing.

Storage Cannot be the Only Answer

India is already planning for a much larger role for energy storage. The Ministry of New and Renewable Energy, citing the Central Electricity Authority’s National Electricity Plan, puts India’s energy-storage requirement at 82.37 GWh in 2026–27, rising to 411.4 GWh by 2031–32. Of the projected 2031–32 requirement, 236.22 GWh is expected from battery energy storage systems and 175.18 GWh from pumped-storage projects.

Those systems can help bridge the gap between when renewable electricity is generated and when consumers need it. But a multi-day renewable drought requires a broader strategy.

Longer-duration storage can carry electricity through prolonged shortages. Pumped-storage hydropower can provide large-scale flexibility. Transmission can move electricity from regions where renewable generation remains strong to areas facing a shortfall. Demand-response systems can shift some consumption away from stressed periods.

Better forecasting also matters. If grid operators can identify a rapidly developing renewable drought early, they can preserve storage, bring flexible generation online and prepare the network before the shortage becomes acute.

For the Days When Renewables Fall Short

The study also points to the importance of where renewable projects are built. Strategic siting could reduce exposure to flash energy droughts, although the benefits depend on climate conditions, available resources and whether suitable sites can actually be developed. That adds another consideration to renewable-energy planning.

A good solar or wind site is not only one that produces large amounts of electricity under normal conditions. It should also be considered in terms of how its generation behaves during extreme weather conditions and how easily the wider grid can compensate when output falls. For India, the next phase of the renewable transition will therefore require more than adding generation capacity.

It will require a grid that can store electricity for longer, move it across regions, adjust demand and respond quickly when weather-driven generation suddenly drops. The goal is not to eliminate the variability of renewable energy. It is to build a power system capable of working through it.