Cold front shifted Lake Balaton: the water level difference was unbelievably high
The cold front reached Lake Balaton on Friday and caused a serious shift in the lake’s water level. The difference measured between the two parts of the ‘Hungarian Sea’ reached 51 centimetres.
According to Infóstart, the average water level of Lake Balaton was 98 centimetres on Friday. However, the extreme values of that average were astonishingly high: 80 centimetres in Balatonfűzfő and 132 centimetres in Balatonmáriafürdő.
Ákos Horváth, leader of the Siófok observatory, told HírBalaton that the strongest wind blew at 90 km/h on 10 January. In a historical comparison, that is not regarded as very high. Mr Horváth said wind speed, wind direction and durability determine whether the lake gets shifted. He added that, regularly, southwestern winds cause higher shifts in the Balaton’s water level, but this cold front arrived from the North.
Lake Balaton’s previous shift was lower
The meteorologist added that the cold would last until Wednesday, but since the Balaton’s water temperature reached 5 degrees, it is not expected to freeze.
We wrote before that Cyclone Boris in September 2024 also shifted the Hungarian Sea. Experts measured significantly different water levels on the two shores of the lake then, as well, with the southern side 33 centimetres higher than the northern side. While the water level at Siófok was 109 centimetres, on the other side, at Badacsony, it was only 76 centimetres.
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