The image was taken by the European Space Agency’s Sentinel-2 satellites.
We have published several photos of frozen Lake Balaton in recent days, but this one is something else.
The image was published on the Copernicus Earth observation program website. This is what they write in the text accompanying the image:
“Lake Balaton is Central Europe’s largest freshwater lake and a key ecological and economic asset in Hungary.
Following several days of prolonged freezing temperatures, the lake surface has frozen for the first time in nine years.
This Copernicus Sentinel-2 image, acquired on 18 January 2026, shows parts of Lake Balaton’s north-eastern shoreline, near the towns of Balatonfőkajár and Siófok. Frozen lake surfaces appear in pale turquoise and whitish tones, which contrast with the bright white, snow-covered land. The rest of the lake was covered by clouds.
Copernicus Sentinel-2 data supports the monitoring of ice cover, contributing to climate research, water management, and the assessment of winter conditions affecting ecosystems and human activities.”
