Severe Winter Weather Grips Central Europe Amid Arctic Outbreak

A significant zone of precipitation moved across Central Europe on January 5, 2026, bringing severe winter conditions marked by heavy snowfall and the hazardous presence of freezing rain in several areas. This widespread weather event is occurring within the context of an Arctic cold air mass advancing across the continent, directed southward by a persistent Greenland blocking pattern. This atmospheric setup is causing temperature anomalies between −10°C and −15°C at the 850 hPa level and is developing extensive snow cover.

In Southern Hungary, the immediate impact included recorded snow accumulations exceeding 10 centimeters. Consequently, the Hungarian National Directorate for Disaster Management issued first-degree (yellow) warnings across ten counties, including Baranya, Bács-Kiskun, Békés, Csongrád-Csanád, Fejér, Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Pest, Somogy, Tolna, Veszprém, and Zala, effective until midnight Monday. Simultaneously, regions near the southeastern border faced a dangerous mix of sleet and freezing rain, which created exceptionally slick road surfaces and caused considerable travel disruptions across the area. Magyar Közút Nonprofit Zrt., the national road maintenance company, deployed nearly 740 vehicles, including hundreds of snowplows, to prioritize highway clearance.

Further north, Denmark has also contended with persistently cold temperatures and forecasts for additional frozen precipitation, following earlier, substantial snowfalls across Jutland and Funen. While some Danish locations had registered up to 41 centimeters of snow in the preceding days, the immediate concern on January 5 centered on maintaining vigilance against continued low temperatures and the potential for scattered snow showers through the rest of the week. Meteorologists note that these acute weather events contrast with long-term climate trends showing a significant reduction in the annual count of snow days in Denmark over recent decades.

The meteorological configuration driving these conditions across Europe is linked to a profound structural failure in typical hemispheric circulation, identified by scientists as the Great Eurasian Atmospheric Separation, which stems from a major Sudden Stratospheric Warming (SSW) event in late 2025. This atmospheric bifurcation is channeling cold Arctic air southward. ECMWF snow depth projections for January 6–10 suggest accumulations exceeding 20 to 30 centimeters across central Europe, specifically encompassing southern Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic. The persistent nature of this cold snap, which has already resulted in challenging conditions such as delayed flights and interrupted rail services in Germany, is expected to linger for several more days, according to the German Weather Service (DWD). This pattern underscores a high risk of severe cold waves across Central Europe in January and February 2026, aligning with expectations of a weakened Polar Vortex.