Seasons in Hungary have completely transformed: something astonishing has happened to winter
Photo: MTI
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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.
Desertification in Hungary. Photo: MTI/Zsolt Czeglédi
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.
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.
Extreme summer heatwaves are like a shock to the human body, especially for the elderly. Source: MTI
What does the future hold?
Environmental engineer Zoltán Goda, in a recent podcast, discussed Hungary’s future climate as shifting towards distinct dry and wetter growing seasons. Persistent long autumn rains and winter snow cover are disappearing, though it’s too soon to confirm scientific trends just yet.
Meteorologist Péter Szabó from ELTE explains that Hungary will always have a cooler, less sunny season and a warmer, sunnier one due to its geography. However, in the next 30 years, he predicts the familiar winter will vanish, leaving only cooler and warmer seasons, perhaps no longer fitting the traditional definition of “seasons.”
Consequences of climate change in Hungary
Longer, drier warm periods may benefit tourism, extending opportunities for outdoor activities well into September. But there are downsides: new health risks are emerging, such as diseases spread by Asian tiger mosquitoes, and longer tick activity seasons. Local pests like the letter bug, oak lace bug, and various Mediterranean moth species are becoming more common. Recent reports describe the oldest Hungarian library being damaged by grain beetles, and mosquito invasions around Lake Balaton threaten local tourism and life.
Aedes aegypti, the tiger mosquito, is a major vector of dengue fever, the Zika virus, and chikungunya. Photo: Creative Commons
Changing forests and agriculture
Hungarian forests are poised to change significantly, while agriculture must combat drought and heat stress simultaneously. Yet the changing seasons also bring new opportunities, like growing tropical or Mediterranean plants—although these may disrupt native insect life and cause plants to bloom earlier and repeatedly.
Record-breaking temperatures and early autumn arrival
HungaroMet reported that last Sunday saw temperatures between 27 and 33 °C, with an average of 30.3 °C nationwide—almost 10 °C hotter than usual for this time of year. The hottest spot was Baja, reaching 32.6 °C, and the coolest was Jósvafő with 26.5 °C. This heatwave rivals peak summer conditions typically seen mid-July to mid-August.
Northern lights were even visible recently—a rare sight in Hungary:
As the week progresses, daytime temperatures will steadily fall, signalling the true arrival of autumn in western Hungary as early as today. Further east, temperatures will drop more slowly, but by Thursday, a continuous cloud cover is expected nationwide. Rain, clouds, and stronger winds will dominate the remainder of the week, with highs barely climbing above 20 °C.
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.
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.