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Weather for New Year’s Eve and New Year 2026. Heavy snowfall and frost
Up to 15 cm of snow may fall on New Year’s Eve. Intense rainfall is expected from Pomerania towards Podkarpacie. However, most of the country will receive 2 to 6 cm of snow. It will be the coldest in Podlasie, the temperature there will be about -15 degrees C. Warmer, -8 degrees is expected in Masovia, in the rest of the country from -4 to 0 degrees C. On New Year’s Day it will be much warmer, from -3 in the east to 3 degrees C in the west. Moreover, there will be a lot of cloudiness with snowfall and sleet with rain in the north of the country. Drizzle and gusty winds possible in the west and center of Poland. Everything indicates that winter will make itself felt, but it will not be as troublesome as the one we call the winter of the century.
The winter of the century began on New Year’s Eve. On New Year’s Day, Poland was paralyzed
The turn of 1978 and 1979 is called the winter of the century in Poland. Due to a rare system of high pressure and low pressure, icy air masses flowed into our country. The first attack of winter occurred on the night of December 29-30, 1978. At midnight the temperature in Nowy Sącz was still around zero, and at noon on New Year’s Day it was already minus 14 degrees. Heavy rainfall turned into snow. They were accompanied by strong winds, so huge snowdrifts formed. On January 1, 1979, Poland was almost completely paralyzed. A state of natural disaster was introduced in the Gdańsk Voivodeship on New Year’s Day.
Railway rails broke due to frost
Winter attacked the entire country. Violent snowstorms, blizzards and severe frost paralyzed Poland. An icy front moved from north to south, bringing snowstorms and a sharp drop in temperatures to most regions. Snow covered roads and railway routes. Transport paralysis also meant supply problems. The coal did not reach the thermal power plant on time – due to the frost, the railway rails broke and the switches froze. The army equipped with heavy equipment was sent to unfreeze the routes. There was chaos on the railway. The express from Warsaw to Krakow arrived in the evening instead of in the morning. Power outages caused several hours of interruption in the operation of the then few gas stations. In many cities, public transport has stopped working, as have intercity connections. Many people were forced to camp at railway and bus stations. The state could not cope with the elements. People had to grab the shovels themselves. Here and there, buses drove through tunnels dug in the snow.
A winter that children and teenagers enjoyed
Winter didn’t let up for two months. Only the youth were satisfied with this. Due to the difficult situation, the then Minister of Education, Jerzy Kuberski, decided to suspend the return of children and youth from winter camps. “Disruptions in rail and road communication resulted in the Minister of Education and Upbringing deciding to suspend the return of young people staying at winter camps. Over 1,300 girls and boys from various parts of the country remained in the Nowy Sącz region for extended holidays. Their departure will only be possible in a few days, when the effects of another winter attack will be overcome,” reported “Gazeta Krakowska”
SEE IN THE GALLERY BELOW WHAT THE WINTER OF THE CENTURY LOOK LIKE
The winter of the century was not record-breaking
Even though the period at the turn of 1978 and 1979 is called the winter of the century, it was not a record-breaking year in terms of temperatures. When it came time for the summaries in March, meteorologists noted that yes, this one was colder and much snowier than the previous ones, but it did not stand out from the rest. Especially compared to the winter of 1928/1929. Then temperatures in Podkarpacie dropped below minus 40 degrees, and a record temperature of minus 45 degrees was recorded in Rabka. It was also frosty during the war year – 1939/1940, when minus 40 degrees was officially recorded in Siedlce.
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