May frosts: grape shoots and seedlings in danger

By: Trademagazin Date: 2025. 05. 23. 10:34

Although folk wisdom calls May rain a golden time – and in recent days it has finally reached the Great Plain – the cold nights at the end of the month are less welcome for farmers. May 25, Orbán’s Day, is traditionally the closing day of the frosty season, which is especially important for grape growers: according to folk observations, the last, more serious cooling can still occur at this time.

This year there were no shortage of frosty surprises either. By dawn on Sunday, ground frost was measured in several places, actual frost also occurred in the Bakony, but temperatures dropped close to 0 °C in Western Transdanubia and the northern part of the country. This is a particularly risky time for gardens full of young shoots, flowers and seedlings, as the plants are already at the peak of their vegetation period at this time.

According to the Időkép forecast, milder weather is expected by Monday morning: minimums of 9–11 °C can be expected in Transdanubia, while in the eastern regions the day may start with values between 4–9 °C. However, there may still be frostbite areas in the northern, wind-sheltered valleys.

Meanwhile, the weather is still showing its winter face in the Tatra Mountains and the mountains around Košice: snowfall whitened several ski areas on Sunday, including Rohács Spálená in the Liptov Mountains.