Sharp turn in Hungary’s weather brings significant dangers this weekend and next week

According to age-old folk wisdom, St Paul’s Day brings a dramatic turning point in Hungary’s weather – and the latest forecasts seem to back it up.

Sharp turn in Hungary’s biting cold

It’s been over a decade since Hungary last endured such a savage spell of cold, snow and ice as we’ve braved over the past month. The first nationwide snowfall hit on New Year’s Eve, 31 December, but the frosty, wintry grip lingered through the year’s opening weeks. Roads remain blanketed in snow and ice across much of the country, standing waters are frozen solid, and even the Danube demands icebreakers to shepherd cargo ships through.

Yet tomorrow’s St Paul’s Day promises a seismic shift concerning weather across the region. Forget any lingering winter snap; the thaw that kicked off yesterday will accelerate, driven by a balmy southerly flow sweeping over Hungary. Expect swelling puddles and, in spots, worsening flash flooding from meltwater. Experts warn it would be folly to let this winter’s gift—a Balaton’s worth of water locked in snow and ice—drain away from the Carpathian Basin. Better to hold onto it than rush the floodwaters out.

Black ice threat lingers today

Conditions today stay perishingly cold and foggy, but a fresh band of precipitation could unleash treacherous black ice in the western regions and Northern Hills. Motorists there, stay vigilant.

The three precipitation zones today:

HungaroMet predicts further easing tomorrow: temperatures will climb above freezing nationwide, with Budapest hitting 5-6°C maxima. Szeged and Békéscsaba might even bask in spring-like weather with 11-12°C warmth.

The mild spell rolls on next week with scant rain. Tuesday brings bright sunshine and Sunday-like highs (Budapest 5-6°C, southern areas 8-12°C). Wednesday may see showers or downpours in the southwest, but wintry chill stays at bay—for now.

Lake Balaton’s ice turns deadly trap

With the Balaton frozen solid for the first time in nearly a decade, crowds have flocked despite warnings—sledging, skating, or strolling across its glassy expanse. But Blikk reports the southern shore’s ice is already unsafe amid the thaw. Foggy visibility compounds the peril; rescue could be a nightmare if disaster strikes. One local angler warns: “It could go wrong any moment.”

However, yesterday Balaton was safe, here’s 10-year-old Bori Daróczi’s

We wrote about a powerful geomagnetic storm that reached Hungary earlier this week and bathing Balaton in unearthly glow.

The M7 motorway resembled a summer traffic jam today as punters piled towards the lake, overwhelming eateries, per Blikk. As the relentless warming thins the ice, authorities urge sticking to the shallows. Trouble? Dial 1817, the Balaton water rescue line.

• Two men freeze to death in Budapest, while a third one knew about it and refused to help