This year, Ukrainians may celebrate Christmas in truly winter weather — for the first time in three years. This was announced by the head of the Cherkasy Regional Hydrometeorological Center, Vitaliy Postryhan, referring to preliminary calculations of forecast models.
According to him, a decrease in temperature in Ukraine is expected from December 24. The average daily readings will drop below zero, which will create a feeling of full-fledged winter on the eve of the holidays.
At the same time, on the weekend of December 20–21, the weather will remain more autumnal. Under the influence of the anticyclone Frieda, continuous cloudiness and fog are forecast across the country. Nighttime temperatures will fluctuate around 0 degrees, and during the day the air will warm up to 3–5 degrees Celsius.
At the beginning of the working week, December 22–23, a new anticyclone with cold air will form over Scandinavia and the Norwegian Sea. It will block the arrival of warm Atlantic masses and the west-east air transfer. However, forecasters do not predict significant changes in the weather during this period: the temperature during the day will fluctuate from 2 degrees below zero to 3 degrees Celsius.
In the future, according to Vitaliy Postryhan's forecasts, Arctic air will enter Ukraine, which will cause a sharp cooling. At the same time, stable snow cover is not expected - only isolated precipitation in the form of snow is possible.
The forecaster also reminded that the current week is the darkest of the year. The winter solstice will occur on December 21, 2025 at 17:03 Kyiv time. That is when the Sun will descend to its lowest point above the horizon. The night on December 21 will be the longest, and the day will be the shortest and will last about eight hours. Starting from December 25, daylight hours will begin to gradually increase.
Forecaster Nataliya Didenko also reported a cooling in late December. According to her forecast, from December 25–26, nighttime temperatures in most regions of Ukraine may drop to -7–12 degrees. At the same time, she noted that these data still need to be clarified.
