January 2026 in Belarus: Heavy snowfalls, frosty sunny days, and landscapes of breathtaking cold beauty

January 2026 is not over yet, but has already gone down in the country’s weather observation history for record-breaking snowfalls and frosts. Yet, despite the municipal challenges, many residents have once again – just like in childhood! – felt the delight of towering snowdrifts, as-yet-untrodden pedestrian paths, and squeaky snow sparkling like silver. The frosts that set in after Orthodox Christmas added the finishing touches to this wondrous winter fairytale, adorning urban and natural landscapes with elegant ice patterns.

Belarusians were surprised by the powerful snow storm Ulli, which, having formed over the Mediterranean Sea, brought intense blizzards and strong winds with gusts of 15-18 m/s to all regions on 8-9 January. The snow depth across most of the country reached 6-30 cm, and even 31-42 cm in some places! In Mogilev, for instance, the absolute monthly precipitation record was shattered – 31 mm! Meteorologists pointed out that the highest precipitation levels in the country’s weather observation history were recorded in January 2007, when the national average reached 78 mm. For Minsk, the January precipitation record dates back to 1915, when 135 mm fell.

No sooner had they bid farewell to Ulli, compared in strength to its snowy brother Xavier, which hit Belarus in March 2013, than Belarusians felt genuine Siberian frosts. According to meteorologists, on 14 January, the minimum air temperature in the country was recorded at the Bolshoi Mezhnik weather station: minus 29.6°C. Such low temperatures have not been observed in Belarus for almost five years. In the area of the agrotown Ozero in Uzda District, the thermometer dropped to minus 20°C. According to the forecast, the frosty and dry weather will persist almost until the end of January.

Bison in Ozyory Landscape Reserve