Weather in the capital: when to expect snow and frost in Kyiv
24 November 2025 17:05
EXCLUSIVE
In the coming weeks, Kyiv will remain without a stable snow cover, despite the calendar winter. Forecaster Natalia Golenya explained in a commentary to "Komersant Ukrainian" that there is no reason to expect stable snow in the city.
She noted the following:
“There is no such forecast yet… according to today’s calculations, there is no such thing as snow cover in Kyiv.
This forecast creates a specific scenario for the city’s economy: from energy consumption to retail and transportation.
Temperature background: fluctuations around zero
According to the weather forecaster, Kyiv residents will experience mild weather in the coming days:
“This week (and by the end of it – ed.) it will definitely not be like this. By the end of the week, it will be warmer, with above-zero temperatures prevailing.
At the weekend, according to the forecaster, a slight drop in temperature is possible:
“There may be a slight minus over the weekend… If it’s around zero at night, plus minus two degrees, the daytime temperature will be between one and six degrees Celsius,” said Golenia.
Significant precipitation is also not predicted:
“There will be no significant precipitation, neither in the form of rain nor snow,” the forecaster predicted.
“In fact, this means the continuation of a long autumn with temperatures ranging from a slight minus at night to 6 °C during the day.
No snow, but bills: how a mild winter affects Kyiv’s economy
Mild winters usually reduce the peak load on the power grid, but do not eliminate heating costs. Temperatures around zero mean that the heating season continues in full, just without extreme frosts.
For utilities, this is an ambiguous situation: on the one hand, there are fewer costs for dealing with the consequences of heavy snowfall and ice. On the other hand, there is a stable demand for heat and electricity for households and businesses.
The absence of snow reduces the burden on road services (less use of de-icing agents, equipment, and fuel), but this does not change tariff and budget policy much: the main costs are concentrated in the energy sector.
For retailers, the snowless winter has its own effect. Demand for classic winter goods (warm clothing, footwear, skis, sledges, winter tires) is slower to form, as the weather does not create a sense of “real winter”. This can both delay the sales of seasonal collections and stimulate discounts and sales earlier than planned.
On the other hand, mild weather supports activity in the service sector: cafes, restaurants, offline commerce and logistics operate without additional costs for dealing with snowdrifts and ice. For public transportation and delivery services, this means fewer disruptions to schedules and more stable operating costs.
Should Kyiv residents expect snow in early December?
According to Natalia Goleni, there are no significant changes at the start of winter.
“So far, and probably in early December as well, according to today’s calculations, there is no snow cover in Kyiv,” the forecaster predicted.
She clarified that the temperature will remain in the familiar range:
“It will get warmer in the next few days, and then the temperature will drop a little further… And on the weekend, if there are clearings, it will be a slight minus. It may be around zero, or one, two, or three degrees below zero.
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It should be noted that according to the Borys Sreznevsky Central Geophysical Observatory, on November 16, the air temperature in the capital dropped to -1.2ºC for the first time this fall, which indicates the end of the frost-free period that lasted from April 12 – 218 days in total.
The average long-term date of the first frost in the air is October 21, and the duration of the frost-free period is 197 days.
Climatologists at the Observatory inform that the shortest frost-free periods in the capital were in 1902 and 1945 – only 144 days, and the record longest – 232 days – was recorded in 2023.
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