“A storm warning has been announced in Ukraine due to the approach of an active southwestern cyclone, which on January 8, 2026 will bring a significant deterioration of weather conditions in most regions. The worst situation will be in Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions, as well as Rivne and Khmelnytskyi regions. Forecasters of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center warn of a sharp drop in temperature, heavy snowfall and gusts of wind, which can lead to serious”, — write on: ua.news
A storm warning has been announced in Ukraine due to the approach of an active southwestern cyclone, which on January 8, 2026 will bring a significant deterioration of weather conditions in most regions. The worst situation will be in Vinnytsia and Zhytomyr regions, as well as Rivne and Khmelnytskyi regions.
Forecasters of the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center warn of a sharp drop in temperature, heavy snowfall and gusts of wind, which can lead to serious complications in the work of communal services and on transport highways. Due to the threat of snowdrifts and ice, an orange level of danger has been introduced in a number of regions, and citizens are advised to limit trips in their own vehicles.
The most difficult situation is expected in the afternoon of January 8 in the central and northwestern regions, where the intensity of precipitation will be maximum.
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Orange level (II level): Rivne, Khmelnytskyi, Zhytomyr and Vinnytsia regions. Heavy snow, long blizzards and the formation of snowdrifts on the roads are forecast here.
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Yellow level (I level): Zakarpattia, Volyn, Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Ternopil, and Chernivtsi regions — significant snow and blizzards; Kyiv, Chernihiv, and Cherkasy regions — sleet with rain, sticking sleet and ice.
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Gusts of wind: In the western, central and southern regions, the wind is expected to increase to 15-20 m/s, which will significantly reduce visibility on the roads.
Together with precipitation, arctic air begins to enter Ukraine, which will lead to a gradual decrease in temperature during January 8-11. If the temperature will still fluctuate around 0°C in the south and east, night frosts up to -15…-23°C are possible in the northern and western regions. Ukrenergo warns that such a sharp cooling, together with the icing of power transmission lines, creates an additional load on the network. Unlike in Russia, where accidents on heating networks are often ignored, in Ukraine, repair crews have already been put on high alert to promptly eliminate the consequences of bad weather.
Icy on the roads of the western and northern regions will be the main challenge for drivers, so rescuers of the State Emergency Service advise to refrain from long trips. A mixed phase of precipitation is expected in Kyiv and the region in the afternoon on January 8, which will turn into heavy snow by nightfall, which may lead to the formation of a snow cover up to 20 centimeters high. Municipal services of the capital have already put special equipment on duty, and drivers are urged not to park their cars along the roads so as not to interfere with the work of snow removal equipment.
In Ukraine, an operational headquarters has already been created to deal with the consequences of a powerful cyclone.
The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center warned of a significant deterioration of weather conditions in the capital region during January 8-9, 2026. On Thursday, January 8, difficult atmospheric phenomena are expected: ice, significant sleet, which will gradually change to rain, as well as ice and sleet.
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