Bloomberg: Europe May Be Hit By A "Siberian Explosion" In January
- 14.01.2026, 20:40
Eastern Europe will be most severely affected by the frost.
Europe in late January may be hit by a large-scale cooling due to the so-called Siberian blast - a rare atmospheric configuration that will change the direction of winds and open the way for cold air from the east. This is reported by Bloomberg with reference to the European Center for Medium-Term Weather Forecasts (ECWF) and estimates of meteorologists.
Silest frost will affect Eastern Europe, the article says. The average temperature in Estonia and Latvia is forecast to drop to -13°C on January 24, more than nine degrees below the climatic norm. As the cold air moves westward, temperatures in Poland may drop to -10°C and in Germany to -3°C, which is also noticeably below average values in these countries.
"Europe hasn't had such severe and widespread cold weather in a long time," MIT researcher and climatologist Juda Cohen told the agency. Siberian air may linger in some regions until early February, he said, although it is still unclear how far westward it will move.
The scenario of sharp cooling in France and Britain remains, but some climate models point to an alternative, MetSwift chief meteorologist James Peacock noted. "For now, the opposite outcome cannot be ruled out, with westerly winds from the Atlantic limiting the cooling to southeastern Europe," he explained.
The risks of increased frost come amid recent winter storms that have already caused heavy snowfall, hurricane-force winds and power outages in Britain, France, Germany and the Netherlands, the agency wrote. The new cold wave could trigger a rise in natural gas prices, as well as intensify competition for LNG amid simultaneous cooling in Asia, Canada and the United States.
"To see such a large-scale spread of cold air - simultaneously in Europe, Asia and North America - is really impressive," Cohen emphasized.
According to forecasters, Europe has been under the influence of a powerful Arctic invasion since the beginning of the year, with temperatures in some regions falling 12-15 degrees below the climatic norm. Cyclones in the Mediterranean are intensifying snowfalls in the Balkans and Eastern Europe.