Wet snow in Latgale, rain in Riga: one small country, two seasons

Latvia proved on Wednesday that it is only small on the map. Forecasters expect wet snow in eastern Vidzeme and Latgale, where the ground may turn white, while Riga will see only a little rain in the evening and temperatures of 5C to 6C. Daugavpils, Latvia's second city, is just over 200 kilometres from the capital by road, but a whole season away in mood.

The year's favourite phone call

On days like this, the same conversation takes place in every family. “It's already white here,” relatives in Rēzekne report with barely hidden pride. “Our lawn is still green,” the Riga resident replies, trying to sound indifferent while feeling like the loser of a contest they never entered. Then come the photos: a white roof and car on one side, wet asphalt and a grey bird on the other. The winner is clear.

Signs that snow is near

• A colleague from Latgale turns up in winter boots for the first time this season and says nothing about it, but everyone notices.
• Riga residents start studying weather maps with the attention they usually reserve for ice hockey.
• Someone is sure to recall that “when I was a child, the snow in November was knee-deep”, and nobody can prove otherwise.
• The question of winter tyres suddenly becomes personal, at least for anyone driving east.

What Riga can do

Forecasters offer some comfort: no significant snow cover will form, so Latgale's lead is likely to be short-lived. Our advice to Riga residents is simply to wait their turn, and meanwhile not to miss the chance to visit relatives in the east, then come home and tell everyone that “it's proper winter out there”. It has been done this way for generations.