Meteorological winter occurs when the average air temperature is below zero for five days in a row. At the observation station in the center of Riga, this criterion has not yet been reached this season. January 6 is the fourth consecutive day with a negative average temperature, but on January 7, the daily average air temperature is expected to be above zero again.
The meteorological winter in the country as a whole began on December 4, because the average air temperature in Latvia on December 4-10 was negative.
In the 2019-2020 season, meteorological winter did not set in the capital, meteorological autumn reigned for five months, which was immediately replaced by meteorological spring.
After the record warm winter of 2019-2020, LVĜMC forecasters introduced a new criterion to draw the line between autumn and spring, if there is no meteorological winter. It was determined that the meteorological spring can come only after the statistically coldest day of the year, which according to the current norm or the 1991-2020 average is February 6.
Weather forecasts say that no big and persistent frost is expected in Latvia in the coming weeks. The air temperature will often fluctuate around zero, for the time being both snow and rain are expected.