First Continuous Layers of Ice Form on Lake Balaton

A partially frozen dock in Balatonberény (southern shore of Lake Balaton) on January 2, 2025 Due to the continuous sub-zero temperatures in the Balaton region recently, some areas of the lake are already showing signs of icing. It is questionable, ho

By: hungarytoday.hu

Jan 04 2025
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First Continuous Layers of Ice

A partially frozen dock in Balatonberény (southern shore of Lake Balaton) on January 2, 2025

Due to the continuous sub-zero temperatures in the Balaton region recently, some areas of the lake are already showing signs of icing. It is questionable, however, whether the ice cover will be thick enough to make Lake Balaton suitable for skating in the foreseeable future.

Sonline, a Somogy County news portal, asked Ákos Horváth, head of the meteorological observatory in Siófok (town at Lake Balaton), whether there is any hope that ice cover suitable for skating will form on the lake. The expert said that only in the closed bays and at the bottom of docks there is currently a few centimeters of ice, and that

there is no continuous ice cover in the open waters.”

Photo: MTI/Katona Tibor

Although a cold front arrived on Friday after a temporary warm-up on Thursday, and meteorologists predict temperatures as low as minus 6 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the expert said that ice suitable for sports should not be expected to form in the next few days. A small layer of ice could reappear by dawn on Sunday, but from the beginning of next week, another warming is expected with stronger winds, that is still not favorable for Lake Balaton to freeze, he emphasized.

Photo: MTI/Katona Tibor

According to Ákos Horváth,

freezing of Lake Balaton cannot be ruled out in the longer term, but the forecasts for the coming week show little chance of it.

Although ice skating on Lake Balaton is unlikely for a while, there are still ice rinks in the region for winter sports enthusiasts. As reported by Hungary Today, nine municipalities around Lake Balaton have announced the opening of artificial ice rinks for the season:

Balatonlelle,
Balatonalmádi,
Balatonboglár,
Balatonfüred,
Nemesvámos,
Siófok,
Szigliget,
Zamárdi
and Veszprém.

Ice rink in Balatonfüred. Photo: MTI/Vasvári Tamás

Ice skating has a long tradition in Hungary, and even in the 19th century it was natural for the people of Balaton to skate on the frozen lake. The last time Lake Balaton was good for this was in 2017, when the winter fattened the lake with a safe, thick layer of ice.

Nine Ice Rinks Await Winter Sports Enthusiasts in the Balaton Region