More than one millimetre of sleet has already fallen in these areas, and further sleet is expected in the coming hours.

Freezing rain has already reached the capital, and a warning has been issued there too.

A first-level (yellow) alert is in effect across Baranya and Tolna counties, as well as in most parts of Veszprém, Fejér and Somogy counties, and in three districts of Komárom-Esztergom County.

A continuous layer of ice has formed on several rivers, however stepping onto river ice is strictly prohibited. Ice may only be used on standing waters where the water authority has measured the ice thickness, confirmed it has reached a safe level of 10–12 centimetres, and officially designated the area as suitable for ice sports, emphasised Lieutenant Colonel Dániel Mukics.

He also reported that firefighters were called out to 54 locations on Sunday due to the extreme winter weather. Fires broke out in 41 buildings — a higher number than usual for this time of year — although no rescues from icy waters were required.

Police responded to 106 traffic accidents on Sunday. While there were no fatalities, 12 accidents resulted in personal injuries.

The Counter-Terrorism Centre (TEK) and the Hungarian Defence Forces have checked on 2,544 elderly people living alone. The National Ambulance Service was called out 3,432 times and treated 595 people for traumatic injuries.

National Police Chief János Balogh added that, due to the severe winter conditions, police have visited more than 14,000 vulnerable people over the past week and a half, primarily because of the risk of cold exposure. These visits were carried out both independently and in cooperation with civil protection organisations.

More than 2,200 inspections were carried out in connection with violations of ice safety regulations. Warnings were issued in 86 cases, while two people were fined on the spot and reported for violations.

“Where a meteorological alert is in force due to sleet, those who can should stay at home in order to prevent accidents,” the official warned.

Update: 

According to the 9 AM hazard alert, a second-degree warning for persistent freezing rain remains in effect until midnight Tuesday in Győr-Moson-Sopron, Komárom-Esztergom, Fejér, and Pest counties. First-degree (yellow) warnings for light freezing rain are active in Vas, Veszprém, Tolna, Bács-Kiskun, Csongrád-Csanád, Békés, and Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok counties.

Forecast shows up to 2 cm more snow in northeast Transdanubia until morning, while freezing rain weakens and stops in South Transdanubia. The snow-to-ice transition line shifts east/northeast, replacing snow with freezing or sleet rain across larger areas in eastern North Transdanubia—strongest risk (several mm) in northern Transdanubia.
 

As the precipitation band moves east, snow spreads across eastern Hungary. Central regions may see brief freezing rain (<1 mm) daytime; northeast/east expects steady snow with 4-10 cm accumulation by Tuesday evening.

Key Impacts:

Budapest/Pest: Second-degree alert—drive cautiously, black ice likely.
Lake Balaton/Veszprém: Yellow warning, slippery roads.
Eastern counties: Heavy snow (up to 10 cm), travel disruptions possible.

Current Road Closures & Impacts

Western Hungary (Second-Degree Warnings)
 

• Győr-Moson-Sopron, Komárom-Esztergom, Fejér, Pest: Major highways (M1, M7 towards Budapest) likely slippery; expect delays or closures due to black ice from persistent freezing rain. Check Útinform.hu for real-time updates.
   

Central & Southern Counties (First-Degree)
 

• Veszprém (Balaton area), Tolna, Bács-Kiskun: Rural roads most affected; main routes like 7/E71 may have salting crews active but drive slowly.
   

Eastern Snow Zones

• Jász-Nagykun-Szolnok, Békés, Csongrád-Csanád: Snow accumulation (4-10 cm expected) could close secondary roads by evening; M5 motorway monitoring for drifts.
   

Tips

• Use Waze/Google Maps for live hazards.

• Budapest airport (Liszt Ferenc) operational but flights delayed—check bud.hu.

• Public transport (BKK buses/trams) running; avoid driving if possible.

MTI Stock Photo - for illustrative purposes only

Source: MTI – Hungary’s national news agency since 1881. While MTI articles are usually factual, some may contain political bias, and readers should be aware that such content does not reflect the position of XpatLoop, which is neutral and independent.

Since the goal of XpatLoop is to keep readers well briefed, right across the spectrum of opinions, MTI items are shared to ensure readers are aware of all narratives within the local media.

XpatLoop believes in empowering readers to form their own views through complete and comprehensive coverage. To facilitate this XpatLoop has a balanced range of news partners, as you can see when you surf around XpatLoop.com

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