Seasons in Hungary have completely transformed: something astonishing has happened to winter
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In Hungary, the school term begins on 1st September, and children’s books are often filled with poems celebrating autumn, saying “summer is over, cool winds blow.” Yet, on 1st September, summer is far from finished—in fact, it often lingers. Over the span of just one generation, the seasons in Hungary have transformed so dramatically that both agriculture and our daily rhythms struggle to keep up. Válasz Online has explored this topic in a detailed and insightful article.
The transformation of the seasons in Hungary
The article opens with a striking fact: decades ago, October marked the start of the heating season, a month characterised by persistent rain and gloomy weather. Now, October feels much closer to summer than it once did in September. In fact, Mediterranean crops such as the “blue banana” and Sicilian jelly palm even ripen in Siófok in October.
This shift has occurred because, unlike in the 1980s and 1990s, when meteorological autumn began on 1st September and ended on 30th November to make way for winter, these seasonal boundaries no longer hold true. Summer now typically extends until around mid to late September, with climate researchers at Eötvös Loránd University averaging it to last until 17th September.
Summer in September, autumn in December
It’s no surprise that September often still feels like summer, and October and November have become milder than memory serves. While in 2000, winter accounted for about 25% of the year, that figure has dropped to just 11%, as spring and summer now cover nearly two-thirds of the year combined (32% each).
Gone are the days of a frozen Lake Balaton, thick snow cover, massive snowball fights, and building snowmen or castles. Snowfall is now rare across the country, and a continuous snow blanket over Hungary has become a notable event. Traditionally, Hungarian agriculture adapted to these colder conditions.
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What defines summer?
Summer is officially counted when daily maximum temperatures exceed 25 °C (though the criteria vary, like in Sweden). For example, September 2023 recorded 23 summer days, and this September has been notably dry and warm. Just yesterday, the temperature came within two-tenths of a historic record.
One of the negatives of this is the windy, rainy, dull autumn seems to last from October until April. The ice, snow and frozen Balaton were changes to experience and punctuated points in the year. Christmas in Hungary really used to feel like Christmas, in the air and in the weather too, now it’s just grey and muddy which is not the same.