Czech Republic braces for return of wintry weather this weekend

Spring may have been coming into bloom with temperatures hitting 20 degrees Celsius last weekend, but the Czech Republic will see a last blast of winter over the coming days.

Fifteen centimeters of snow were reported in the Jeseníky Mountains this morning. And throughout the country, cold temperatures leading to ice and snow are expected over the weekend, before temperatures rise again from the middle of next week.

The cold spell is being caused by air currents from the north and northeast.

“It will bring significantly below-average temperatures and the wind will lower the apparent temperature. Beware of icing in the morning, snowdrifts forming in the mountains, and snowfall in the lowlands,” meteorologist Dagmar Honsová told Novinky.cz.

Ice is expected, causing problems for farmers and gardeners who have seen the first buds of spring coming into bloom over recent days thanks to the warm weather.

The highest daily temperature today is expected to be 8 degrees Celsius in South Moravia. Saturday will be cloudy and overcast, with snow showers in some lowland areas, and between five and 20 centimeters of snow in the mountains. Temperatures during the day will peak at 5 degrees Celsius in some areas.

Sunday will be a similar story, with morning temperatures as low as -5 degrees Celsius. Snow showers will stop later in the day, before an even colder morning on Monday, with temperatures dropping as low as -6 degrees Celsius.

The cold weather will last until the middle of next week: Wednesday will see a slow shift away from freezing temperatures before a return to springlike warmth later in the week.

Drivers are now being warned to proceed with caution, especially when heading to higher altitudes. Road workers in the Jeseníky Mountains today said “a slurry of wet snow remains on the roads, making it slippery, especially on non-maintained roads.”

Visibility is also reduced in some areas of Moravia and Silesia due to snow showers. Traffic complications have already been reported in the Opava and Bruntál districts, though for now all roads are passable “with great caution,” according to a police spokesperson.

Overnight frost and ice has meanwhile led meteorologists to recommend that farmers and gardeners protect flowering fruit trees and plants.

Pedestrians throughout the country should meanwhile watch out for treacherous ice underfoot.

Concerns about public safety on the roads and while walking are high because after a spell of warmer weather, precautions which become second-nature in the depths of winter are liable to be forgotten, leading to a higher risk of accidents.