Is it raining now in Zgorzelec?
Sunny
24 AugNo upcoming precipitation for the next hour.
Last update: 12:00, 24 Aug 2026
Free to download * Essential from $0.83 * Prices vary by region and promotions.
- App Only
Track up to 20 locations
Home, office, kids' school - all at once, no switching tabs.
- App Only
Alerts for each of them
Get notified 15 minutes before rain - while you can still change your plans.
- App Only
Widgets on your home screen
Live radar without opening the app - on your lock screen or home screen.
Rain in Zgorzelec: What You Need to Know
Zgorzelec sits directly on the Nysa Luzycka (Lusatian Neisse) river, the border that splits it from Gorlitz on the German side — the two were one city until 1945. A Zgorzelec rain radar matters here because the town's annual precipitation, around 832mm, arrives unevenly: in July 2013 the Bogatynia meteorological station in Zgorzelec County recorded 40mm of rain in a single hour during a thunderstorm. A hyperlocal radar is the only way to see a cell like that building before it reaches the riverbank.
The mechanism is Sudetes-foothill terrain south of the town, which channels runoff toward the Nysa Luzycka and its tributaries, the Miedzianka and the Witka. That funneling effect sharpens the town's flash-flood response compared with flatter parts of Lower Silesia, and it is documented as one of the main natural hazards across Zgorzelec County. A single regional forecast cannot show which tributary is rising fastest on a given afternoon.
RainViewer draws its Zgorzelec feed from IMGW, refreshed every 5 minutes, so residents see the latest radar scan rather than a forecast written hours earlier. What a live map shows and a forecast cannot: whether a storm cell over the Witka catchment is intensifying toward the Niedow dam or weakening before it reaches the Stary Most bridge to Gorlitz (Zgorzelec, Görlitz).
Rain by Season in Zgorzelec
Summer flood-risk peak (June–August)
Zgorzelec's documented flood events cluster in the warm season. The 6-7 August 2010 flood and the July 2013 storms both fall inside this convective window, and it remains the period locals watch most closely on a hyperlocal radar.
Post-flood recovery period (ongoing, warm season)
Reconstruction of flood defenses on the Miedzianka and Witka watercourses, EU co-financed through the county, keeps summer rain a live civic concern rather than a settled one. Each new storm season tests the rebuilt infrastructure.
Winter lower-risk months
Outside the summer convective window, Zgorzelec's flood exposure eases, though river levels along the Nysa Luzycka border are still worth checking before any border crossing to Gorlitz during heavy rain.
Why You Need a Rain Radar in Zgorzelec
Zgorzelec-Gorlitz border crossing
One of three international crossings in the gmina, the Zgorzelec-Gorlitz crossing carries cross-border trade, transport, and tourism with Germany. Drivers and pedestrians checking the radar before crossing can see whether a storm cell is sitting over the Nysa Luzycka or has already moved past.
Turow lignite mine and power plant
Turow, in Bogatynia within Zgorzelec County, employs around 3,600 workers at a 2,059 MWe plant near the Polish-Czech-German tripoint. Heavy rain in the Witka catchment is a known trigger for flood response near the plant, so site managers benefit from a radar update every 5 minutes.
Stary Most pedestrian crossing
The Stary Most (Old Town Bridge) links the Zgorzelec and Gorlitz town centers directly over the Nysa Luzycka. Pedestrians crossing between the two halves of the former single city are exposed to the river's flood behavior and can check the radar before walking across during heavy rain.
Bogatynia commuters and residents
The 2010 flood wave, up to 7 meters high in places after the Niedow dam failed on the Witka, cut Zgorzelec off from the surrounding road network and submerged nearly all of neighboring Bogatynia. Residents who commute between the two towns can watch the radar for building storm cells rather than relying on a same-day forecast.
RainViewer Radar Coverage in Zgorzelec
RainViewer draws radar data for Poland from the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management (IMGW) via danepubliczne.imgw.pl, updated every 5 minutes. Coverage is comprehensive across the country. Zgorzelec sits at the western edge of that coverage, so storm systems crossing the border from Gorlitz and the wider Saxony region are visible on the same map before they reach the Nysa Luzycka.
Zgorzelec Rain Radar: Frequently Asked Questions
- Is it raining in Zgorzelec right now?
The fastest way to know is a live hyperlocal radar, since Sudetes-foothill terrain channels heavy rain into the Nysa Luzycka catchment fast. RainViewer pulls fresh IMGW radar scans every 5 minutes, showing conditions as they are rather than a forecast written hours earlier.
- Is Zgorzelec a good place to plan an outdoor visit around the border crossing?
Rain events here can build quickly over the Witka and Miedzianka tributaries, and the Zgorzelec-Gorlitz crossing sits close to the river. Checking the radar before a border visit shows whether a shower is passing through or building into something longer.
- Does rain affect crossing the Stary Most bridge to Gorlitz?
The Stary Most sits directly over the Nysa Luzycka, the same river responsible for Zgorzelec's worst modern flood in August 2010. Checking the live radar before walking across during a heavy-rain event is safer than relying on a general forecast for the day.
- Does Zgorzelec flood when the Nysa Luzycka rises?
Yes — on 6-7 August 2010, intensive rainfall in the catchment triggered the Niedow dam failure on the Witka river, sending a flood wave up to 7 meters high that destroyed the Bogatynia-Zgorzelec bridge and cut the town off from the road network. Residents near the river should track radar closely once heavy rain moves into the catchment.
- When is the best time to visit Zgorzelec to avoid heavy rain?
Documented flood risk in Zgorzelec County clusters in the summer convective window, from the August 2010 flood through the July 2013 thunderstorms. Visitors planning time around the Zgorzelec-Gorlitz border crossing should watch the radar closely during June through August.
- Why does rain hit Zgorzelec harder than nearby flatter towns?
Sudetes-foothill terrain south of Zgorzelec channels runoff toward the Nysa Luzycka and its tributaries, the Miedzianka and the Witka, concentrating water that flatter parts of Lower Silesia simply absorb. A single regional forecast cannot show that funneling effect — only a live radar tracking the cell's path can.
- Is there a live rain radar for Zgorzelec?
Yes — RainViewer's hyperlocal radar for Zgorzelec draws directly from IMGW, refreshing every 5 minutes with new scans instead of a periodic forecast update. The map covers both sides of the Nysa Luzycka border, including Gorlitz.
- Can I get a rain alert before it hits the border crossing?
Yes — RainViewer's rain alerts can be set for a specific point like the Zgorzelec-Gorlitz crossing or the Stary Most bridge, so travelers get a notification as a cell approaches instead of checking the map manually. That advance window is what lets a commuter plan a crossing before the rain arrives.
Track Rain in Zgorzelec in Real Time
Drivers and pedestrians at the Zgorzelec-Gorlitz border crossing work in a town where Sudetes-foothill terrain can turn a routine shower into a fast-rising river event. The August 2010 flood, triggered by a dam failure on the Witka, shows how little warning a standard forecast gives before the water reaches the bridge.
A generic forecast says scattered showers for Zgorzelec this week. RainViewer's live hyperlocal radar shows it is already raining hard over the Witka catchment while the border crossing stays dry — that is the call a driver makes every time a summer cell builds.
Track rain in Zgorzelec — free Upgrade to Essential for alerts, forecasts, and full radar history
2-hour forecast in 5-minute slices
See whether a cell building over the Witka catchment clears the Niedow dam area or keeps intensifying over the next two hours.
Rain alerts before arrival
Set an alert for the Stary Most bridge or the Turow plant site and get notified before a system reaches it.
Direction arrows on the map
See whether a front is tracking in from the Sudetes foothills toward Zgorzelec or breaking apart before it arrives.
48 hours of radar history
Review the last 48 hours to see how a storm system built and moved across the Nysa Luzycka catchment.
Multiple locations
Track the Zgorzelec-Gorlitz crossing, the Stary Most bridge, and the Turow plant at the same time.
RainViewer
