What’s happening? Unseasonable weather set to hit Hungary next week
Hungary and much of Central Europe are bracing for a rare meteorological event next week, as a powerful warm front is forecast to sweep across the region, pushing temperatures well above the usual December norms.
According to meteorologists, daytime highs on Wednesday and Thursday could reach double digits across Hungary’s lowlands, while the air temperature over the eastern Alps, at around 1,500 metres, may be 10–12°C above the seasonal average. The extraordinary warmth is being driven by an unusually strong west-European cyclone pattern, which is funnelling air masses from North Africa across the continent.
“This is a remarkable anomaly for this time of year,” The Weather on Maps warned on their Facebook page. “Even from the Moon, this positive temperature deviation could be observed. In theory, under optimal atmospheric mixing, temperatures could surge as high as 20–25°C on the plains, though in practice this is highly unlikely given winter’s low solar radiation.”
The Alpine region is expected to bear the brunt of the consequences. Snow cover accumulated in late November is predicted to start melting almost entirely as the freezing level climbs above 3,000 metres, posing serious challenges to ski resorts and winter tourism in Austria and neighbouring countries.
What should Hungary expect?
For Hungary, the outlook is slightly less dramatic but still notable. The lowland areas will see mild, snow-free conditions continuing through mid-December, with no significant cold spells or sustained winter weather expected ahead of Christmas. A predominance of westerly airflows will continue to moderate temperatures, though the influence of the southerly warm component may ease slightly.
Forecasts rely on a combination of major climate models, including NCEP (GFS), DWD Opendata Portal (ICON-EU), and Copernicus Climate Change Service (ERA5). Visualisations accompanying the predictions have been provided by The Weather on Maps.
With winter skiing resorts facing a potential early thaw and the Hungarian plains enjoying unusually mild conditions, Central Europe’s weather next week is set to be a notable departure from the seasonal norm.