Record-breaking cold delays spring in Czechia: When will it warm up?

Following a period of unseasonably warm weather the first week of April, Czechia has been gripped by a late-season cold snap over the past few days, with record-low temperatures recorded in some regions.

On Monday morning, the village of Rolava in the Sokolov District hit a frigid -11.7 degrees Celsius, the coldest reading in the country. Seven meteorological stations across Czechia broke their record low temperatures for April 22.

The Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (CHMI) has issued frost warnings for most of the country until further notice as the unseasonable cold threatens fruit trees, vines, and vegetables. Night-time lows are expected to dip below freezing through Friday in many regions, except Wednesday, when temperatures should climb just above 0 degrees Celsius.

In the Karlovy Vary area, heavy snowfall on Sunday caused downed trees and branches, disrupting both road and rail traffic temporarily. The mountain town of Klínovec reported several fresh centimeters of snow. Meanwhile, in the Krkonoše Mountains along the Polish border, ridges saw around 15 centimeters (cm) of new snow, bringing total snow depths to around 25 cm as of Monday morning.

According to the CHMI, a pattern change will occur this weekend. Warmer air will start moving in on Friday, allowing high temperatures to reach 12-16 degrees Celsius. By Sunday, many areas could see afternoon highs around 20 degrees Celsius under partly sunny skies.

The warmup, however, won't come all at once. Meteorologists say subfreezing temperatures and mountain snowfall can't be ruled out even late this week; the extended outlook shows readings continuing to moderate early next week as milder air flows across the Czech Republic.

The Severe Weather Europe channel attributes the dramatic drop, which followed the historic heatwave in early April, to a sharp cold front across Central Europe.

Czechia saw record-breaking highs surpassing 30 degrees Celsius on April 7, with the first tropical day recorded this year breaking 1934’s record. In 2023, the first tropical day wasn’t recorded until June 18.