Poland braces for cold snap as PM attends emergency briefing

Prime Minister Donald Tusk on Saturday is chairing a weather emergency briefing in the northern city of Elbląg amid deteriorating winter conditions across Poland.

PM Donald Tusk (R) during a meeting of the crisis management team convened due to the difficult weather situation. Warsaw, 31 December 2025. Photo: PAP / Marcin Obara

On Friday, following the easing of flood risks, the mayor lifted the city’s flood emergency status.

“Across Poland, we have experienced—or may experience in the coming days—a range of incidents, so I ask that we maintain a spirit of mobilization,” Tusk was quoted as saying during the Elbląg briefing.

The country’s Met Office has warned that the weekend will bring cold temperatures, snowfall and strong winds. The agency has issued nationwide alerts for icy conditions, alongside warnings of heavy snowfall in northern Poland.

On Friday, the Office released first-degree warnings for ice across the entire country, as well as alerts for snowdrifts and blizzards in the southern and south-eastern regions.

In response to the severe weather, crisis management teams convened earlier this week, meeting on both Tuesday and Wednesday. Those days marked a sharp onset of winter, which hit northern Poland particularly hard. In some areas, cars were stranded by deep snowdrifts, while heavy trucks struggled to climb hills, including on stretches of the S7 expressway.

Meanwhile, second-degree alerts for heavy snowfall remain in force in north-western Poland. Snow cover is expected to increase by 15 to 30 cm, and locally even up to 40 cm.

The Government Security Centre (RCB) has issued a public alert urging caution on roads and pavements and advising residents to closely monitor weather updates.

(mo)

Source: PAP

Radio Poland