Saturday and Sunday, August 15–16, will be the peak of the last August heat wave: in the warmest regions of the country, thermometers will show up to +35…+36 °C. The day before, the Slovak Hydrometeorological Institute (SHMÚ) issued a level 2 warning for the entire Bratislava, Nitra, and Trnava regions — these areas will be the hottest.
On Monday, August 17, a cold front will come from the northwest. This will be the last day with tropical temperatures above +30 °C: in the afternoon, heavy rains, thunderstorms, and locally intense showers will begin. According to the forecasters' forecast, this is not a short cold spell — a longer weather change will start.
What will happen after the front
The week from August 17 to 23, according to SHMÚ, will be variable: clouds, rain, isolated thunderstorms. During the day, temperatures are expected from +26 to +32 °C, around +24 °C in the north.
The long-term ECMWF model gives an even more optimistic forecast: the periods August 17–24 and 25–31 may have more precipitation than usual for this time of year. As imeteo.sk writes, the variable weather may continue into the end of August and September.
Why rain is good news
Slovakia has been living in drought mode for weeks, and the consequences are already noticeable. In the east of the country, due to heat and lack of water, problems have arisen in fish farms near the village of Perín-Chym. In water bodies, including the Domaša reservoir, toxic cyanobacteria (blue-green algae) are multiplying massively — swimming in such water is dangerous, so check the condition of the water body before going to the lake.
If the forecast comes true, the second half of August will partially relieve the drought tension. But first, you need to survive the weekend: drink more water, avoid the sun during midday hours, and do not plan long mountain hiking routes for Saturday and Sunday — tropical heat plus mountain trails are incompatible.
