Expect extreme cold and drifting snow today in Hungary: Siberian cold arrives, temperatures plunge below −15°C

By the early hours of Thursday, temperatures along Hungary’s western border could fall below minus 15 degrees Celsius, and in some locations may approach minus 20 degrees. Due to strengthening winds across much of the country, drifting snow is expected to develop over large areas, HungaroMet Zrt. said on Wednesday.

In a weather warning sent to MTI, the meteorological service noted that intermittent light snowfall may occur in places from Wednesday afternoon until late evening. From the evening and late evening hours, another precipitation zone will arrive from the south, likely bringing fresh snowfall to eastern Hungary, the Borsod region and areas along the River Tisza.

In eastern parts of the country, significant snowfall is expected to continue until Thursday morning, generally between 2 and 10 centimetres, while areas near the eastern border may receive 10–15 centimetres of fresh snow. Locally, even higher amounts cannot be ruled out. Snowfall is expected to last the longest in the northeast, though it is forecast to end there as well by late morning or early afternoon on Thursday.

Winds may ease slightly by Wednesday afternoon, although strong gusts could still occur in some places. From Wednesday night into Thursday, however, winds will strengthen again across many areas, leading to widespread drifting snow.

During the day on Thursday, serious drifting snow and the formation of higher snowdrifts are expected in the eastern two-thirds of Transdanubia, central regions of the country and northeastern Hungary, with wind gusts reaching 55–65 kilometres per hour.

As a result, a second-level (orange) weather warning has been issued for Thursday for the counties of Baranya, Bács-Kiskun, Borsod-Abaúj-Zemplén, Fejér, Komárom-Esztergom, Pest, Somogy, Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg, Tolna and Veszprém. In areas covered by fresh snow, stormy winds may create high snowdrifts.

According to the forecast, temperatures along the western border could again drop below minus 15 degrees Celsius by Thursday morning, with isolated areas nearing minus 20. Due to the expected extreme cold, first-level (yellow) warnings have been issued for Vas and Zala counties.

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BKV: De-icing and snow clearance ongoing across Budapest

Snow removal and de-icing operations are continuously underway at bus and trolleybus stops, tram platforms, waiting areas and major junctions across the Hungarian capital, BKV Zrt. told MTI on Wednesday.

Budapest has a total of 4,804 surface-level public transport stops, and cleaning is being carried out gradually and according to a set schedule. Priority is given to the busiest transfer points, termini and major transport hubs, followed by more easily accessible stops in the inner city and hilly districts, before crews move on to stops in the outer districts.