Winter Timeline 2021/22

This year long-term forecasts for the winter varied from those predicting a moderately mild one to such foreseeing a harsh and snowy season. For the sake of simplicity, I have assumed the truth lies in the middle and a normal winter, with average temperature and precipitation was ahead. With hindsight – subjectively this was the windiest winter in my lifetime.

 

8 October 2021 – 11 October 2021
A row of days with ground frosts. Warsaw somehow escapes sub-zero temperatures which are reported nearly everywhere else in Poland (low of +0.4C).

25 October 2021
First frost. 7 days later than on average and one of two (the second came next morning) incidences of negative temperature in October 2021 in Warsaw. Before sunrise temperature declines to –0.2C.

 

26 November 2021
Sleet, then snow, then sleet begins to fall after sunset. It lingers. Ghastly, but as for the first breath of winter, it is light.

27 November 2021
Wake up to see a light dusting of snow fallen overnight, which melts by midday. Barely above 0C, unpleasantly chilly.

28 November 2021 – 29 November 2021
Two days of typical pre-winter, with temperature just above freezing. The former bright, the latter gloomy with sleet in the evening.

30 November 2021
Occasional flurry several times during the day, snow in the evening. At times intense enough to not to melt despite positive temperature.

November 2021 was very warm. Average temperature in Warsaw was +5.3C (vs. long-term average of +3.8C). Stats:
- month-time high: +13.8C on 4 November 2021,
- month-time low: –1.8C on 11 November 2021 (the fourth-highest November’s low after 1950 in Warsaw),
- the warmest day: 20 November 2021 (daily average of +10.6C):
- the coldest day: 27 November 2021 (daily average of +0.8C)
- number of days with snow cover: 1,
- the highest snow depth: 1 centimetre on 27 November 2021.

 

1 December 2021 – 3 December 2021
All faces of pre-winter, from sleet to plenty of sunshine. Temperature ranging from –1C to +6C.

4 December 2021 – 5 December 2021
First days of thermal winter (average temperature below 0C), with some flurry. Windy and chilly.

6 December 2021 – 8 December 2021
Three chilly, snow-free, mostly gloomy days. Temperature has settled below 0C for good. Colder day by day.

9 December 2021
Woke up to behold a light dusting of snow, yet it does not make the world much brighter. Still cold.

10 December 2021
Finally a proper supply of fresh snow. Sadly, the temperature rises slightly above zero, but the snow melts slowly, since the ground is frozen.

11 December 2021 – 14 December 2021
Temperature between –5C and +1C, with freezing fogs and hard rime.

15 December 2021 – 19 December 2021
A grey, miserable, foggy or rainy thaw. Longing for sunshine whose scarcity is painful at this time of year. But prospects of proper winter for Christmas lift the spirits.

20 December 2021
Some snow showers, some sunshine (after 16 days of continuous gloom), temperature close to 0C, but wind chill close to –10C.

21 December 2021
Finally a day full of sunshine, from dawn to dusk, i.e. for less than 8 hours. Winter solstice beautifully marked. Frosty.

22 December2021 – 23 December 2021
Still below zero, with a light dusting of snow and moderately bright. Weather forecasts for the Christmas Eve chop and change. Keeping fingers crossed for a wintery scenery.

24 December 2021
Now watch out! The first wintery Christmas Eve since 2003 deserves a detailed report!
6:00 a.m. – wake up to see 4 centimetres of fresh snow fallen overnight. Christmas will be white.
10:00 a.m. – temperature creeps barely above 0C.
1:30 p.m. – it begins to snow, at times snow turns into icy sleet. What falls does not melt, despite temperature just above the point of freezing. Light snow continues until late evening.
Day-time high of +0.8C, mean daily temperature: –0.5C. Despite light thaw I count it as wintery Christmas Eve, after 17 winterless ones in a row.

25 December 2021 – 27 December 2021
A series of sunny, yet frosty days. Glorious weather for burning calories during Christmas walks. During that period for the first time since February 2021 temperature dips into double-digit frost.

28 December 2021 – 29 December 2021
Two last days of the first episode of proper winter bring chilly wind and overcast skies, but no precipitation. Temperature drifting towards the point of freezing.

30 December 2021 – 31 December 2021
An abrupt thaw comes around. Temperature rises hour by hour. Freezing drizzle makes roads and pavements slippery before the ground unfreezes. Snows melt quickly. New Year’s Eve is the warmest on the record in Warsaw and in other places in Poland, beating the record warm 31 December in 2006. At midnight, as 2021 gives way to 2022, temperature is +10.2C (the warmest turn of the year since records began in Warsaw).

December 2021 was slightly cold. Average temperature in Warsaw was –0.9C (vs. long-term average of –0.1C). After 8 warmer than average Decembers the weather returned to “normalcy”. Stats:
- month-time high: +11.4C on 31 December 2021,
- month-time low: –13.6C on 27 December 2021 (temperature rose by 25 Celsius degrees within 4 days),
- the warmest day 31 December 2021 (daily average of +9.5C, the warmest New Year’s Eve in Warsaw since records began),
- the coldest day: 27 December 2021 (daily average of – 10.0C, the coldest day in December since 2012),
- number of days with snow cover: 20,
- the highest snow depth: 4 centimetres from 24 December 2021 to 28 December 2021.

 

1 January 2022 – 5 January 2022
Warm late autumn continues. Cloudy and rainy. Temperatures are high across the entire Europe. Bad news for Gasprom bring a smile on my face.

6 January 2022
Temperature turns negative around midday, then it begins to snow, for the first time in 2022. It was supposed to be a light shower which would melt, but the outturn is a proper precipitation which leaves which powder on the ground.

7 January 2022 – 10 January 2022
The long weekend is mostly sunny, with temperature ranging from –6C to +1C.

11 January 2022 – 12 January 2022
Two miserably grey, foggy and chilly days. I long for spring, which still is a long way ahead :(.

13 January 2022 – 14 January 2022
It thaws out for good, sadly so far without sunshine, but with intermittent drizzle or even hail. Windy as hell!

15 January 2022
Finally a spell of sunshine, yet not a spell of warmth, especially with gusty chilly winds. Temperature around the point of freezing.

16 January 2022
Still windy, but sunless. Around zero, don’t know how chilly it is outside, since I don’t bother to venture out of home.

17 January 2022
A winter squall with thunders, lightnings, hail and snow hits Warsaw before midday. Wind gusts reach 93 kmph. Most of the fallen snow melts in the afternoon after the temperature climbs to +2C.

18 January 2022
Air pressure skyrockets, but bright sunshine compensates for side effects to those suffering from weather-driven headaches. Day-time high above 0C.

19 January 2022
Wake up to see a light dusting of snow which fallen overnight, which had not predicted in ant forecast. It melts over the day, the last day before winters sets in for good again.

20 January 2022 – 23 January 2022
Some moments of sunshine, some intermittent snow showers. Temperature below 0C most of time. Still windy.

24 January 2022
The coldest morning this year, followed by a cloudy day. Temperature soaring.

25 January 2022 – 29 January 2022
A row of grey, gloomy days. All sorts of precipitation, including snow, sleet, freezing drizzle, regular drizzle and rain. Temperature ranging from –2C to +5C, but it’s f**king windy. I long for spring!

30 January 2022
Nadia anticyclone brings damn gusty winds, snow and rainfalls. The upside is that power generations from wind farms in Poland is nearly as high and from coal.

31 January 2022
Finally sunny, wind speed decreases, temperature still close to 0C.

January 2022 was very warm (and abnormally windy). Average temperature in Warsaw was +1.0C (vs. long-term average of –1.5C). Stats:
- month-time high: +11.3C on 1 January 2022 (just after midnight),
- month-time low: –8.1C on 24 January 2022 (single-digit frosts were also reported as January’s lows in 2018 and 2020),
- the warmest day: 1 January 2022 (daily average of +7.8C, still 3.5 Celsius degrees less than on 10 January 2007 which was the warmest January day since records began in Warsaw),
- the coldest day: 11 January 2022 (daily average of –4.2C, quite high, as for a low),
- number of days with snow cover: 14,
- the highest snow depth: 3 centimetres on 7 January 2022.

 

1 February 2022
Sunny, cold morning, snowy afternoon and evening.

2 February 2022
Wake to see a thin blanket of heavy, wet snow, which is washed away by the rain by midday.

3 February 2022 – 6 February 2022
A few grimy, windy days. Temperature between –1C and +5C. The weather definitely does not encourage to spend time outdoors.

7 February 2022
Heavy snowfall at +0C temperature which starts in the morning and lasts until early afternoon lays a white blanket on the ground, which does not fully disappear by the evening.

8 February 2022
It’s getting boring. Another gloomy, rainy day. Just its length makes up for greyness.

9 February 2022 – 10 February 2022
The first gust of spring. As Poland is between low-pressure and high-pressure systems, wind speed remains high, temperature approaches +10C and the weather is changeable.

11 February 2022
The last dull day. Rainy, then snow. Gusty wind intensifies hour after hour.

12 February 2022 – 15 February 2022
Three days with glorious sunshine from dawn to dusk, frosty nights and mornings. The wind does not ease off, so it feels chilly despite day-time highs well above freezing.

16 February 2022 – 22 February 2022
An ugly pre-spring, with temperatures fluctuating between just above freezing and barely into double-digits, little sunshine and frequent rainfalls, at times turning into sleet. During that period two winter storms wreak havoc across Poland: Dudley on 17 February and Eunice on 19 February.

23 February 2022 – 28 February 2022
Night-time frosts return and are a price to pay for sunnier weather. Large temperature fluctuations on most days and still windy.

February 2022 was anomalously warm, yet far from record-warm. Average temperature in Warsaw was +3.4C (vs. long-term average of –0.4C). Stats:
- month-time high: +10.6C on 16 February 2022,
- month-time low: –4.8C on 13 February 2022 and on 28 February 2022, (being the fourth-highest February low in Warsaw after 1950),
- the warmest day: 10 February 2022 (daily average of +7.3C),
- the coldest day: 1 February 2022 (daily average of –1.1C, one of two days in the entire month with negative average temperature, at the par with the records – also in 1989, 2016 and 2020 there were two February days with negative mean temperatures),
- number of days with snow cover: 1,
- the highest snow depth: 1 centimetre on 2 February 2022.

 

1 March 2022 – 3 March 2022
Early March brings the coldest mornings since the third decade of January, but with full sunshine and cloudless skies, the afternoons are warm. Colder than usual at this time of year.

4 March 2022 – 5 March 2022
I did not expect to see the snow by next winter, yet it falls several times a day, but melts, as the temperature hovers around +2C.

6 March 2022 – 9 March 2022
The typical pre-spring, rather dull, but with spells of sunshine, rather above freezing, but with night-time frost, rather dry, but with some drizzle or sleet.

10 March 2022 – 12 March 2022
The high pressure system takes over and draws in cold air. Mornings are one of the coldest this, year, with the dawn of 12 March being the coldest since late December. During the afternoons temperatures turn positive. Marvellous sunshine from dawn to dusk (i.e. for around 12 hours actually). In north-eastern Ukraine temperature plunges into double-digit frost, with low of –16C in Kharkov.

13 March 2022 – 14 March 2022
Still cloudlessly, with milder morning frosts and double-digit highs.

15 March 2022 – 16 March 2022
A bit cloudier, yet without precipitation, though the rain is badly needed. Double-digit highs bring the first whiff of spring air.

17 March 2022 – 20 March 2022
An anticyclone brings extraordinarily high pressure, azure skies and large temperatures variations, from below 0C at dawn, to around +10C in the afternoons.

21 March 2022 – 25 March 2022
Getting warmer. Afternoons are more than balmy with highs of around +15C or above, but mornings are still frosty or at least with ground frost.

26 March 2022 – 28 March 2022
Slightly colder, yet without night-time frosts, cloudier, but sadly not a drop of rain. Windy. Dust is whipped up from the dried-up soil.

29 March 2022 – 30 March 2022
Colder, between 0C and +10C, with less sunshine and long-awaited rain. Bracing for the last gasp of winter.

31 March 2022
A little bit of snow falling in the morning, melts instantly. Forecasts for the coming days vary, but for the southern parts of Poland are unsettling.

March 2022 was normal. Average temperature in Warsaw was +3.6C (vs. long-term average of +3.2C). The monthly precipitation was 1.3 milimetres, thus it was the driest March in Warsaw after 1950 (previous driest March was in 1974, 4.9 millimetres). Stats:
- month-time high: +19.3C on 23 March 2022 (a lovely spring afternoon),
- month-time low: –8.4C on 12 March 2022 (colder than in January and in February),
- the warmest day: 28 March 2022 (daily average of +11.7C),
- the coldest day: 11 March 2022 (daily average of –2.0C),
- number of days with snow cover: 0.

 

1 April 2022
Snow begins to fall the morning and falls over the entire day. With temperature very close to 0C the layer accumulated in the evening reaches some 5 centimetres.

2 April 2022
Wake up to behold masses of wet snow fallen overnight (officially snow cover reaches 15 centimetres at 6:00 a.m.). It snows by midday and then ceases and thaws out. In the evening temperature reaches +5C so the snow and the slush turn into big puddles.

3 April 2022 – 4 April 2022
With overnight sub-zero temperatures what has melted over the day freezes up. The masses of snow gradually disappear.

In later days winter was not actually in sight, yet the proper spring was coming in spurts and shyly. The last (probably) frost this spring was reported on 13 April 2022. The last snow was witnessed in the morning of 19 April 2022. Had my tyres changes for summer ones on 20 April 2022 (same late as in 2012 and 2013, but I could have put it back by 2 or 3 days, especially since during the working week the car sits idle anyway).

April 2022 was cold. Average temperature in Warsaw was +7.2C (vs. long-term average of +9.2C). It was the third-coldest April in my lifetime, after April 1997 (+5.0C) and April 2021 (+7.0C). Stats:
- month-time high: +21.0C on 14 April 2022 (the only day in the month when temperature topped above +20.0C, such low number of days in April when temperature exceeded +20.0C reported for the first time since 2008),
- month-time low: –3.5C on 3 April 2022 (not remarkably cold),
- the warmest day: 14 April 2022 (daily average of +12.6C, lower than monthly average for the entire April 2018 which stood at +13.5C),
- the coldest day: 1 April 2022 (daily average of +0.3C, the coldest April day since 2013),
- number of days with snow cover: 4 (vs. 8 in 2013 – first days of April 2013 were truly snowy and vs. 5 in April 2003),
- the highest snow depth: 15 centimetres on 2 April 2022 (which is the highest snow cover of the 2021/22 winter season and not the record-high snow cover in April – in 2013 it reached 22 centimetres).