Czechia braces for severe thunderstorms with hail and heavy downpours

On Thursday and Friday, two waves of severe thunderstorms will sweep across Czechia, bringing torrential rain, hail and gusty winds — meteorologists have already issued a storm warning. The culprit is a wavy cold front that will linger over the country until Saturday, dragging along a low-pressure zone that will also unleash heavy rainfall.

Storms to arrive in two waves

Thursday afternoon is expected to be cloudy with scattered showers and thunderstorms, intensifying by evening, especially in the southeast of the country. In some areas, thunderstorms may bring heavy downpours, hail and strong wind gusts. Daytime temperatures will climb to 25–30°C, reaching as high as 32°C in Moravia and Silesia. Winds will blow from the southwest and west, with gusts during storms potentially hitting 70 km/h.

Friday will follow a similar pattern: variable cloudiness with isolated showers during the day, followed by a fresh wave of rain in the evening — locally quite heavy. Very severe thunderstorms are expected, with gusts up to 90 km/h, hail around 3 cm in diameter, and downpour-like rain. From Thursday through Saturday, many regions could see significant rainfall totals — according to forecast models, the heaviest rain is expected in the southeastern half of the country, where more than 50 mm could accumulate in places.

Friday morning temperatures will hover between 14–19°C, warming up to 22–27°C during the day. Winds will mostly be light and variable, though they may pick up sharply during storms.

The weekend brings a break

Saturday should be mostly clear, with only mountainous areas seeing increased cloudiness and isolated showers. Overnight temperatures will drop to 13–18°C, rising to 20–25°C during the day, and up to 27°C in southern Moravia. Winds will ease.

Sunday is also expected to be largely clear, though clouds may build up in the afternoon and evening, bringing brief showers in some places. Nighttime temperatures will range from 11–16°C, daytime highs from 21–26°C, with light and variable winds.

Rain may return next week

The forecast for early next week remains uncertain, particularly regarding precipitation. Starting Monday, cloud cover and rainfall are expected to increase as another area of low pressure approaches Central Europe from the southwest. Current estimates suggest the heaviest rain will fall on Tuesday, as the system moves through the country, before rain gradually eases and skies begin to clear.

Monday will still be warm, with daytime highs of 20–25°C, and up to 27°C in the southeast of the country. After that, however, temperatures will drop noticeably — especially in regions hit by rain — with daytime highs falling to around 20°C.

Around Prague, based on reporting by novinky.cz