The first day of meteorological spring brought a sudden temperature surge, sparking a wave of enthusiasm among residents across the country. However, alongside record numbers of strollers on beaches and in parks, meteorological services are warning of numerous hazards. The Institute of Meteorology and Water Management has issued warnings for dense fog, snowmelt, and river flooding, which in Masovia and Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeships have already led to dangerous ice jams.
Ice Jams on the Wkra River
A 300-meter ice jam in the Joniec municipality caused the river to overflow, forcing services to monitor flood embankments and local roads.
IMGW Alerts for 9 Regions
Warnings have been issued for dense fog, snowmelt, and river flooding with exceedance of warning levels, including on the Drwęca River.
Specter of Drought and High Prices
Despite the current snowmelt, the record-dry January raises concerns about agricultural drought and rising prices for fruits and eggs before Easter.
The beginning of March 2026 brought a radical change in weather to Poland, posing a challenge for both infrastructure and agriculture. Although thermometers show spring-like values, and crowds of residents from Szczecin, Stegna, or Łódź have flocked to sunlit meadows and beaches, forecasters are warning against euphoria. The sudden warming after a wave of frost has become the cause of rapid hydrological phenomena. The most difficult situation is on the Wkra River, where a three-hundred-meter ice jam has formed in the Joniec municipality, causing local flooding. Ice jams most often form at the turn of winter and spring, when the breaking ice cover encounters obstacles in the river's current, creating natural dams that rapidly raise the water level above the alarm state.The hydrological situation is complicated by the fact that January 2026 was recorded as one of the driest in measurement history. The deficit of winter precipitation means farmers are looking to the future with concern, fearing for the condition of winter crops and the yields of early fruits like strawberries. At the same time, nighttime temperature drops still enable activity for enthusiasts of body hardening, as confirmed by numerous groups of 'morsy' (winter swimmers) in Mielno or on Pogoria. IMGW has issued first-degree alerts for dense fog, which reduces visibility to less than 200 meters in nine voivodeships, including Masovia and Greater Poland. In Zakopane, despite the receding snow cover, ski stations still offer good conditions, constituting an anomaly against the backdrop of the quickly greening rest of the country. However, meteorologists temper optimism with a long-term forecast, predicting March as a typical transitional month, full of weather plot twists. An additional factor of concern are food price forecasts, indicating a significant increase in the cost of Easter products, especially eggs, which is a consequence of the accumulated costs of energy and raw material production at the beginning of the year.