Europe's snow and ice cover plummeting as rapid warming hits continent's coldest regions, report warns
At least 95% of the continent experienced above-average annual temperatures last year.
Europe is losing snow and ice cover as rapid warming hits its coldest regions, a major annual report has found.
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Around 100 scientists and experts contributed to the UN-backed European State of the Climate 2025, which found that at least 95% of the continent experienced above-average annual temperatures last year.
Europe saw dangerously high air temperatures, drought, heatwaves and record ocean temperatures as it warms more than twice as fast as the global average, according to the paper released by the UN World Meteorological Organisation (WMO) and the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).
The annual sea surface temperature for the region was the highest on record in 2025 and wildfires burnt the largest area on record last year at around 1,034,550 hectares, producing the highest ever level of emissions, the paper said.
The scientists also highlighted the significant loss in snow and ice, which play a critical role in climate regulation by reflecting sunlight back into space, meaning reduced coveraccelerates global warming.
They found that snow cover was 31% below average in Europe last year, and the area of the continent experiencing winter days with freezing temperatures shrank as minimum temperatures remained above average for most of the year.
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The Arctic and the Alps continue to face an ongoing trend of rapid warming while sub-Arctic Fennoscandia – the cold region covering northern parts of Scandinavia and Russia near to and within the Arctic Circle – saw a record three-week heatwave.
The region would usually see 0-2 days of extreme heat on average but temperatures exceeded 30 degrees in July, peaking at 34.9 degrees in Frosta, Norway.
And glaciers in all European regions saw a net mass loss, with Iceland recording its second-largest loss on record and the Greenland Ice Sheet losing 139 billion tonnes of ice.
Samantha Burgess, strategic lead for climate at the ECMWF, said: “We’re really seeing reduced snow cover across Europe and this also reduces… this reflectivity of the white bright surfaces.
“We see that the Alpine regions of Europe are warming much faster than the European average rate as well.”
Asked about the future of Europe’s cold regions, Ms Burgess said there will be less snowand fewer glaciers.
“The cryosphere is one of the ecosystems that is most impacted by climate change andwe’ve seen rapid shrinking throughout Europe and glaciers worldwide,” she said.
As for the implications for industries that rely on glaciers and snow, she said: “We’ll see how resilient and how able they are to adapt to the changing climate conditions”.
Elsewhere, storms and flooding affected thousands across Europe, with at least 21 lives lost, though extreme rainfall and flooding were less widespread than in recent years.
Changing conditions are placing pressure on Europe’s water systems, the report found, as river flows dropped to below average for 11 months of 2025.
The paper also focused on how climate change is a major driver of biodiversity decline, which in turn is accelerating climate change.
Increasing temperatures, changing precipitation patterns and warming oceans have led to reduced species richness, degraded ecosystems and higher extinction risks, it said.
While European policy frameworks have increasingly recognised the close links between climate and biodiversity, the experts said progress remains too slow.
But they acknowledged how the energy transition is gaining momentum on the continent, with renewables supplying nearly half (46.4%) of Europe’s electricity in 2025 and solar power reaching a new contribution record of 12.5%.
“With rising temperatures, and widespread wildfires and drought, the evidence is unequivocal; climate change is not a future threat, it is our present reality,” Ms Burgess said.
“In confronting the impact on biodiversity loss, we need to match the speed of adaptation happening in the clean energy transition, and at the same time ensure robust science continues to underpin our policies and decisions.”
Celeste Saulo, WMO secretary-general, said: “Our joint effort to produce the (report) reflects how climate change is impacting biodiversity and the bold initiatives taken by European policymakers to protect and restore it.”
While the report did not address the El Nino situation, Ms Saulo said the latest WMO findings are pointing to a likely return to the El Nino weather phenomenon as early as July this year, with its warming conditions compounding climate change impacts further in the coming year.