When will the first snow arrive in North Macedonia?
UHMR: a fresher week but no mountain snow expected in the next ten days; lows to 7°C in mountain mornings.
The Hydrometeorological Service (UHMR) warns that the coming workweek in North Macedonia will be noticeably fresher, but significant snowfall on the high mountains is not expected yet.
Today will be mostly sunny with locally small to moderate cloudiness and a light to moderate northerly wind. Maximum daytime temperatures are forecast to range from 22°C in western and mountainous areas to 30°C in the southeastern parts of the country.
In Skopje the weather will also be predominantly sunny with temperatures reaching up to 28°C.
Short-term outlook and mountain prospects
UHMR's forecast for the next days shows mostly sunny and fresher conditions through the end of the new working week, with small to moderate cloudiness during daytime. The atmosphere will not be entirely stable: on Tuesday some brief, occasional rain is possible in northern areas. Winds will be northwest and then shift to southeasterly.
Mornings will be noticeably fresh, with minimum temperatures in mountain areas falling to 7°C. Meteorological analyses indicate that over the next 10 days there are no conditions for snow in North Macedonia.
At Shar Planina (Popova Shapka) and on Pelister daytime temperatures at high elevations should stay between 6°C and 11°C, and current forecasts do not expect nightly lows below zero. The first whitening of the highest mountain peaks (above 2,000 meters above sea level) will wait for the next stronger moist front and a fall of temperatures below zero, which climatological averages show most often happens during October.
In the lowlands and cities, the first snow typically arrives toward the end of November or in December.
Across the border, Serbian meteorologists are forecasting a stronger cooling in the third decade of September — around 23 September — when a first light snowfall on the highest peaks such as Kopaonik and Golija is possible. Meanwhile, in Austria the high Alpine massifs Dachstein and Kitzsteinhorn (above 2,900 m) have already recorded early autumn snow with about eight centimetres of cover, and some ski centres are preparing for the season. The German Weather Service (DWD) reports zero centimetres of snow at their stations, and southwestern Germany is seeing temperatures climb again toward 29°C.
Photo: Ilustracija (AI)
