This could be the hottest July since records started being kept by the National Meteorological Administration, Romania’s minister of environment, Mircea Fechet, recently said. Meanwhile, a new heatwave is set to take over Romania, peaking at around 41 degrees Celsius in the shade over the weekend.

"Such extreme weather phenomena tend to become Romania's norm from a meteorological point of view. We see the same situation in many other countries as well. This is the effect of climate change, which I believe we should discuss more. Besides what we feel on our skin every day, the population needs to be warned and prepared so that together we can better overcome such phenomena," the minister said, cited by Digi24.

"On July 13, we had this year's temperature record of 39 degrees, and yesterday we set a new record of 40 degrees. This means not only very high temperatures but also a prolonged period of thermal discomfort," he explained. "In ANM's records, we are in third place, with only a few years being hotter than this one. But if this trend continues and if we get hit by a third heatwave starting from Saturday, there is a good chance that July of this year will become the hottest July we have ever experienced," the minister added.

Earlier, ANM's director, Elena Mateescu, told journalists that maximum temperatures of 39-40 degrees, possibly even reaching 41 degrees Celsius in the southernmost part of the country, will be reached again this weekend.

The heat discomfort index is already measuring 80 units in some areas in the south and southeast of the country. From the beginning of next week, starting from Tuesday, July 25, a third intense heatwave could bring temperatures to 39-40 degrees Celsius.

In addition to the orange heatwave warning, meteorologists have also issued orange and yellow warnings for torrential rains, storms, hail, and lightning in several counties across the country, valid until tomorrow morning.

radu@romania-insider.com

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | George Călin)