The Matterhorn is standing without snow at the end of September, a rare sight that has gone viral on social media
Photographs taken this week show the iconic 4,478-metre peak looking almost bare after Switzerland's hottest and driest six months since records began 160 years ago.
Meteorologist Jörg Kachelmann has called it "a catastrophic summer and so far a catastrophic autumn for the Alpine glaciers".
Scientists warn that when snow no longer protects the rock, ice inside the cracks melts and dangerous rockfalls become more likely.
Zermatt mountain guides warned against ascending the peak back in July, and MétéoSuisse expects the mild, dry pattern to hold through autumn.
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