First Snow, Hail, and Freezing Rain: Where 'Sudden Winter' Arrived in Ukraine on November 6

Forecasters warned in advance — and they were right

Ukrainians were warned about cooling, night frosts, and even snow before the cold weather arrived. By November 6, 2026, the forecast was confirmed: social media users began sharing the first images of "winter" precipitation, although in many cities it resembled rain or hail more than classic snow. Local Telegram channels and Facebook groups published photos and videos, documenting weather unusual for mid-November. According to RBC-Ukraine, this was an intrusion of cold arctic air from the northwest, which meteorologists had been tracking since September.

Cherkasy: Hail and freezing rain instead of snow

The "first snow" was greeted most turbulently in Cherkasy. City residents reported that on November 6, hail fell instead of the predicted snow cover. Later, the "News Cherkassy" Telegram channel clarified that freezing rain was also recorded in the city. Close-up photos of the precipitation were published in the "Tvoi Cherkasy" channel, and the "Typovi Cherkasy" Facebook group posted a video captioned: "First snow or hail? Rain with snow started in Cherkasy." Thus, in one city, three types of precipitation — snow, hail, and freezing rain — were observed within a few hours.

Shostka, Stryi district, Ivano-Frankivsk, and Kamianets-Podilskyi

Unusual precipitation was also recorded in other regions on November 6. In Shostka, Sumy region, authors of a Facebook post noted: "November surprises us with the weather in our city," accompanying the text with footage. In the Stryi district of Lviv region, the first snow was spotted in the village of Tukhlya near Slavske; this was reported in the "Truha Lviv" Telegram channel, calling the scene "beautiful." Footage of "winter" precipitation in November was also published in the "Ivano-Frankivsk 24/7" channel. In Kamianets-Podilskyi, Khmelnytskyi region, citizens observed wet snow with rain: "Winter is gradually reminding us of itself," they wrote in the "KOD Kamianets-Podilskyi" Facebook group.

Arctic air: A chronology of cooling since September

The intrusion of cold arctic air from the northwest, according to forecasters, began back in September. At that time, the first snow fell in the Carpathians, and the temperature in the highlands dropped to −2 °C. By September 24, the weather in the highlands already resembled true winter: the temperature dropped further, and a small layer of snow covered the ground. In mid-October, it snowed again in the Carpathians — on Mount Pip Ivan, the temperature was −5 °C. On October 27, snow greeted the Dragobrat ski resort in the Rakhiv district of Zakarpattia region. On the night of November 5, the temperature in the Carpathian highlands fell to −9 °C, although by that time there was almost no snow left there.

What's next: Forecast and impact on the microclimate

Forecasters had previously reported on what to expect until the end of next week and what the weather in Ukraine will be like in November as a whole. Separately, experts explained how air pollution changes the microclimate of Ukrainian cities and how weather conditions affect air quality. According to Vira Balabukh, head of the Department of Applied Meteorology and Climatology at the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Institute, winter in Ukraine could prove unconventional. For now, November 6 is recorded as the day when "winter" precipitation moved beyond the highlands for the first time this season and affected lowland cities in several regions at once.