Weather news editor on the harsh winter of January 2026.
Such frosts are becoming less frequent, and when they reach the winter lows we were once accustomed to, we are no longer prepared for it,” said LTV weather news editor Toms Brīcis in an interview with Latvian Radio, adding that our infrastructure is no longer accustomed to such persistent frost. He explained that in previous decades, such cold spells, which even reached -30 degrees, were much more common and that such continental Arctic air from Russia would have brought us much lower temperatures in the last century.
Brīcis noted that such frosts at the end of January and the beginning of February are not unusual and that no cold records will be broken. However, in recent decades, winters have become noticeably warmer, so we have forgotten that Latvian winters can be like this. The last time -30 degree frosts were recorded at one of Latvia's official observation stations was five years ago, in January 2021, in Stalģene, Jelgava region.
Our infrastructure is also no longer accustomed to such particularly persistent frost. Therefore, the company Rīgas ūdens reported in previous weeks that the number of burst water pipes due to the frost is increasing, and therefore, especially for homeowners, it is necessary to check whether the insulation of water pipes has deteriorated over the years when winters were not so cold, as this cold can lead to frozen pipes,” explained Brīcis.
