On 1 October 2026, hurricane-force wind hit Sněžka, the highest Czech mountain, in the Giant Mountains. In the morning, the measuring station at the Anežka post office on the summit recorded wind gusts of over 128 kilometres per hour, while the hurricane threshold is set at 117.7 kilometres per hour [3]. According to data from the Poštovna station, the maximum gust reached 36 metres per second, that is roughly 130 kilometres per hour, at five o'clock in the morning [1]. Strong wind had been blowing on Sněžka since the previous Wednesday [1].*

Impact on cable car operation

Because of the strong wind, the upper section of the cabin cable car on Sněžka was closed [1][3]. The lower section of the cable car, running from Pec pod Sněžkou to Růžová hora, remained in operation [1][3]. The weather did not restrict the operation of the other cable cars in the eastern Giant Mountains [2][3].

Temperatures and climate on the summit

In the morning the wind on Sněžka exceeded 100 kilometres per hour and the temperature was around ten degrees Celsius, but because of the wind the felt temperature fell to just four degrees Celsius [2][3]. Despite the modest altitude of 1603 metres, the climate on the summit of Sněžka is arctic and high-mountain, and often does not reflect the weather across the Giant Mountains as a whole [2][3].

Situation in other parts of Czechia

Strong wind hit other places in Czechia as well. Meteorologists measured gusts of around 80 kilometres per hour on Praděd in the Jeseníky and in Svratouch in the Bohemian-Moravian Highlands [1]. The Hejnice station in the Frýdlantský výběžek recorded a gust of almost 70 kilometres per hour; a meteorologists' warning of strong wind was in force for this area until Thursday noon [1]. According to meteorologists, the wind was to calm further during Thursday, and in the following days there was to be almost no wind in many places, while high temperatures of up to 25 degrees Celsius were to persist [1]. The forecast for the Hradec Králové Region expected clear to partly clear skies for the day, with increasing cloud from the west in the afternoon and highest temperatures of 21 to 24 degrees Celsius, up to 17 degrees in the mountains [3].

Related articles: Sněžka

Chronology

  • — Hurricane-force wind of more than 128 kilometres per hour was recorded on Sněžka; operation of the upper section of the cable car was suspended. iROZHLAS Novinky.cz

Sources

  1. Novinky.cz — 1 October 2026
  2. Deník.cz — 1 October 2026
  3. Hradecká Drbna — 1 October 2026