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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.
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.
BKV has contracted an external partner to clean its 570 tram platforms, while the 4,450 bus and trolleybus stops are being cleared of snow by staff from Budapest Public Utilities (BKM). The work is carried out using both manual and mechanical equipment, in day and night shifts.
The company also noted that during snowfall, tram switches represent critical points in the network, as they can become clogged with snow carried onto the tracks by other vehicles. Switch heating systems were inspected before the winter season, and all necessary maintenance was completed in advance.
During overnight snowfall, 20 workers using four snowploughs and 12 rail-grinding trams cleared Budapest’s tram network. The HÓMUKI snow-clearing vehicle was also deployed, tasked with ensuring uninterrupted tram services across the city. Snow removal on paved tram tracks, such as those along the Grand Boulevard—where road vehicles can access the tracks—is carried out by BKM as a contracted partner when necessary, the statement said.
Transport minister: Freight rail traffic to be reduced across Hungary
“Freight can wait, passengers cannot”: during the most intense period of snowfall, freight train traffic will be reduced across the Hungarian rail network, Minister of Construction and Transport János Lázár wrote on Facebook on Wednesday.
Lázár said he had approved a decision allowing the MÁV Group’s infrastructure operator to temporarily hold freight trains in order to give priority to passenger services that may become congested on the network.
With fewer freight trains in operation, fewer track switch adjustments are required, reducing the risk of technical failures. Moreover, rescuing and removing a broken-down freight train is a complex operation even in snow-free conditions, and becomes particularly time-consuming during heavy snowfall, the minister explained.
“We cannot afford to lose time now: maintaining passenger transport comes first,” Lázár stressed.
“Although the amount of snow that fell overnight—unseen for a decade—has already caused disruptions to rail services in several areas, thanks to emergency management measures like these, trains are running everywhere, and MÁV continues to offer a safe transport alternative for everyone,” the minister wrote.