Extreme heat in July 2025 in Romania broke record set in 1947

The month of July was nearly 2 degrees Celsius warmer than normal in Romania, with temperatures exceeding 43 degrees Celsius in the southern Oltenia region and over 40 degrees Celsius in Transylvania. Eleven new heat records were set, and there were also intense rains as well as severe hailstorms, according to the climatological summary published by ANM.

The oldest record broken in July 2025 dates back to 1947, at the weather station in Alba Iulia, Hotnews.ro reported. It was +40.6 °C last month, nine-tenths of a degree higher than the value from 88 years ago.

Overall, the city of Alba Iulia has had a 2025 full of records: the highest temperature in the country in April was recorded there (+31.3 °C after mid-month), and in January, a new record was set: +17.9 °C, shattering by 2.5 degrees a record from 1948.

The heat record surpassed by the largest margin was at Chișineu-Criș, +41 °C, which was 1.3 °C above the value from July 2024. In general, the new records exceed the old ones by no more than half a degree Celsius.

Most heatwave days (over 15) were recorded locally in some sectors of the Danube meadow in Oltenia (Calafat area) and Muntenia (Giurgiu area). Moreover, the national average monthly air temperature, calculated from data from 129 weather stations, for July 2025, was 22.1 °C, which is 1.7 °C higher than the median of the reference interval (1991–2020), according to the summary published by ANM.

July 2025 ranks as the fifth hottest July in the past 65 years. The highest temperature was registered at Calafat, south-eastern Romania, 43.4 °C, on July 26. The coldest Julys were during the summers of 1978, 1979, and 1984.

July was hotter due to an extensive depression in the area of the British Archipelago and an anticyclonic ridge in the south-southwest of Europe. The coupling of these two caused extremely warm tropical air masses from North Africa to be displaced and driven towards Eastern and Central Europe, subsequently remaining stationary for several days in July.

As the Atlantic cyclone advanced eastward toward the European continent, and with Romania later positioned in its rear sector, the country saw a drop in temperatures and an increase in weather instability and rains.

(Photo source: ANM.ro)