Wody Polskie prepared for the winter of 2025/26. Will icebreaking operations be needed?

Winter is not commonly associated with flooding, yet ice phenomena on rivers create a serious risk of ice jams, which can lead to sudden water surges and local inundations. The safety of residents and infrastructure is ensured by icebreakers, ready, if needed, to begin icebreaking operations on the Vistula, Oder, Warta and Noteć. Wody Polskie assures that preparations for the 2025/26 season have been completed and the fleet is in full operational readiness.

Winter operations not only on the roads

In the 2025/26 winter season, 26 icebreakers will ensure the navigability of Polish rivers. Wody Polskie reports that all units are operational and ready to conduct icebreaking.

Ice jams on rivers can dangerously raise water levels and flood surrounding areas, and drifting ice floes may damage bridges or hydrotechnical structures, explains Mateusz Balcerowicz, president of Wody Polskie.

For this reason, Wody Polskie employees closely monitor the extent and intensity of ice phenomena as part of ongoing flood protection surveillance. Hydrological data and field observations are passed on to the relevant regional and national services, which decide whether to deploy icebreakers. As emphasized by Marcin Jarzyński, deputy president of Wody Polskie for flood and drought protection, the most difficult situation occurs during the thaw, when ice on frozen rivers begins to move.

What icebreakers can be seen on Polish rivers?

Icebreaking operations are carried out mainly on the middle and lower Oder, the lower Warta and Noteć, the lower Vistula and on the Włocławek Reservoir. On the Oder, seven Polish icebreakers cooperate with a fleet of six German units, allowing coordinated work on the border river channel and minimizing the risk of ice jams on both sides of the border. Monitoring of the Western and Border Oder is supported by a river information camera system installed at the initiative of the Inland Navigation Office in Szczecin.

On the Upper Oder, flood safety is ensured by the distinguished icebreaker Borsuk, built in Kędzierzyn-Koźle 36 years ago. Representatives of the Wrocław Regional Water Management Authority assure that despite more than 30 years of service, the unit remains operational, and in the event of significant ice accumulation, its work can be supported by local companies equipped with heavy machinery.

Another eight units are stationed in Włocławek, where the ice duty runs from 1 December to 30 March. The icebreakers Orkan, Sokół, Lew, Gepard, Bawół and Niedźwiedź will, if necessary, break a channel in the ice cover and maintain its navigability. Two units service the sluice of the Włocławek Water Stage.
The Gdańsk Regional Water Management Authority has nine icebreakers available, which will be deployed in the event of ice jams on the Lower Vistula. Four of them – the lead icebreaker Puma and three line icebreakers Narwal, Manat and Nerpa – are new vessels built with support from European Funds and commissioned in 2021.

What will the winter of 2025/26 be like in Poland?

Astronomical winter begins just before Christmas, but the scale of icebreaker operations will depend primarily on temperatures and precipitation over the coming months. According to forecasts from IMGW-PIB, winter this year will not bring severe frost – average minimum temperatures will remain between 0–3°C, with sub-zero values expected only in the Tatra Mountains. It will become colder around New Year’s Eve, when temperatures across the country except Pomerania will drop below 0°C.

The long-term forecast suggests that average temperatures in January and February 2026 will not deviate from the multi-year norm – the coldest conditions are expected in Podlasie and Podhale (around -4°C); the warmest in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (up to 3.5°C). In the second week of January, heavier snowfall is possible. It is therefore not ruled out that icebreakers will have to be deployed. All the more so because in March we will again feel the effects of climate warming – the entire month is expected to be warmer than the long-term average, and additionally meteorologists predict heavy rainfall, which will increase the risks associated with the thaw.

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main photo: Wody Polskie/ gov.pl