Heating up: February temperature records broken in various Czech regions

Temperature records have been broken in various regions across the Czech Republic this week. At 24 locations, meteorologists recorded the highest February temperature since the beginning of measurement. 

Some 61 out of 155 measuring stations have a new temperature maximum for Feb. 24 with the warmest being in Vidnava in the Jesenice region, where they measured 20.7 degrees Celsius, said an employee of the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ).

Over 20 degrees Celsius was also recorded in Opava-Otice; 20.3 degrees is the highest February temperature the station has recorded in its 141 years of existence. The third highest temperature was recorded in Zlaté Hory in the Jesenice region, reaching just under 20 degrees.

The record February temperature of all time has yet to be broken however, according to CHMI, it was 22 degrees in Český Krumlov on Feb. 27, 1994.

The almost springlike weather in the Czech Republic also prevailed on Tuesday, when the maximum was 20 degrees Celsius in Vyšší Brod in the Český Krumlov region. The record for Feb. 23 was broken at 49 stations out of 155.

According to the CHMI forecast, the very warm weather will last till Thursday, when the daily maximums should be between 13 and 18 degrees. However, it will start to cool down on Friday and on the weekend it will be between five and nine degrees during the day in most places.

Tuesday's temperature in Vyšší Brod exceeded the current February maximum of 19.3 degrees Celsius from Feb. 24, 2008.

In addition to southwestern Bohemia, according to ČHMÚ, it was also very warm in the Frýdlant foothills. There were some cold patches in the fog on Tuesday however. "In northern Bohemia and in the southeast of Moravia the fog dissolved the slowest and the maximum was only around five degrees Celsius," they said. 

In some places, it is now up to tens of degrees Celsius warmer than last freezing week. In Šumava, it warmed up by almost 45 degrees in a week, Eva Plášilová from the CHMI branch in České Budějovice pointed out on Monday.