December in the Czech Republic is rewriting the rulebook for winter. On Monday, temperature records tumbled across the country, and Tuesday turned out even warmer. The highest values were measured in České Budějovice, where the thermometer climbed above 16 °C. According to the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute (ČHMÚ), long‑term records for December 9 were broken at nearly 60 percent of all stations that have been collecting data for over 30 years.
As warm air continues to flow across the region, many parts of Bohemia and the western Vysočina area experienced unusually high temperatures. “Warm air continues to stream into our territory, and once again, temperatures have reached record levels in many locations,” reported the ČHMÚ in a Facebook post accompanied by updated weather maps from its Aladin forecast model.
For České Budějovice, this marked the second consecutive day of record heat. With 16.4 °C measured on Tuesday, the South Bohemian capital surpassed its previous record of 12.2 °C set back in 1993 — the highest reading anywhere in the country that day. Other warm spots included Čáslav (15.3 °C), Byňov (15.1 °C), and Český Krumlov (15.0 °C), the last of which shattered a 1999 record of just 10.2 °C.
Out of 172 stations with more than three decades of observation, 101 reported new highs. The effect was especially noticeable in South Bohemia, where every single one of the 20 official weather stations recorded a new December 9 maximum. Even mountain locations joined in the unusual warmth: on Churáňov, the mercury reached 10.8 °C, beating the 1964 record of 9.3 °C. Moravia and parts of Silesia, however, remained cooler and cloudier, hovering around 6–7 °C under layers of fog.
Meteorologists expect similar temperatures to persist through Wednesday before easing slightly later in the week. By the weekend, daily highs should settle closer to 10 °C – still well above the seasonal average for early December. Statistically speaking, however, this is not the first warm spell of its kind. The historic record for December heat stands at a remarkable 19.8 °C, measured in Fryčovice on December 5, 1961, during another nationwide temperature anomaly.
Though winter has yet to make its return, forecasters remind the public that mild weather now does not entirely rule out a snowy Christmas. “Until the holidays, we expect above‑average warmth,” wrote Novinky.cz in a related report. “But the hope for a white Christmas is still alive.”
