The Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center has presented a detailed weather forecast for the next ten days — from October 17 to October 26, 2026. Natalia Ptukha, Head of Media Relations at UkrHMC, explained in a blitz interview with RBC-Ukraine that a low-pressure field, enhanced by southern cyclonic activity and atmospheric fronts, is dominating the country's territory. This exact combination of factors determines the unstable nature of the weather: precipitation will alternate with clearings, and the temperature background will be "patchy" both by day and across regions. At the same time, forecasters emphasize that overall temperatures will be above the climatic norm for the third decade of October.

Friday and Saturday: Rain in the South, Fog, and Mild Nights

On Friday, October 17, the amount of precipitation will decrease compared to the previous day. Most regions will experience scattered light rains, while the southern and southeastern areas may see moderate precipitation during the day. Night and morning fog will persist in the southern part of Ukraine. Nighttime temperatures will range from +5 to +12 °C, daytime temperatures from +10 to +18 °C, and eastern regions will see air warming up to +21 °C. According to Ptukha, there is "no talk" of frost, as cloud cover and precipitation prevent temperatures from dropping below freezing.

Weekend and Monday: Moderate Rains and Gusty Winds

On Sunday, October 18, and Monday, October 19, precipitation will return: moderate and occasionally heavy rains will sweep through the southern and central regions. The exception is the western regions, where the weather will remain mostly dry with no significant precipitation. Apart from the west and east, wind gusts of 15–20 m/s are expected in some areas on these days. Nevertheless, the temperature background will remain comfortable for this time of year: nights will be cooler, around 0 °C, with daytime highs of +1…+6 °C in most regions, while the east will still enjoy temperatures in the low twenties.

The Carpathians: Intermittent Wet Snow Without Stable Snow Cover

The situation in the high-altitude Carpathian regions differs from the plains. Nighttime temperatures will drop to around 0 °C, while daytime highs will reach +1…+6 °C, creating conditions for precipitation to periodically turn into wet snow. Ptukha specified that snow will fall "here and there" and "intermittently, not constantly," and over the next few days, mountain stations have even recorded a slight temperature increase of a couple of degrees. No stable snow cover is expected during these days.

Starting Tuesday: A Trend Toward Clearing and Rising Pressure

Starting Tuesday, October 20, atmospheric pressure will begin to build across Ukraine. Moderate rains are still possible at night, but by daytime they will become light with a clear tendency to stop. On Wednesday, October 21, nighttime temperatures will drop slightly due to decreasing cloud cover, and no significant precipitation is foreseen. On Thursday and Friday, October 22–23, pressure will rise more noticeably: precipitation is possible only in the west of the country in the form of light rains, and nights will become slightly fresher — within +4…+11 °C. Thus, by the end of the week, the weather will stabilize, and an "Indian summer" with warm daytime figures may persist in certain regions until the beginning of the third decade of October.

Context: Why October 2026 is Abnormally Warm

Forecasters note that the current temperature anomaly is explained by southern cyclonic activity, which brings warmer air masses than is typical for the third decade of October. Earlier, UkrHMC explained that October in Ukraine can include several episodes of "Indian summer" and warned about water shortages in a number of rivers where a level three hazard has been declared. Daytime readings of +18…+21 °C in flat regions exceed long-term averages for these dates by 5–8 degrees, making the current week one of the warmest for late October in the past few seasons.