Romania records fourth warmest year on record in 2025, marked by extreme weather

Romania experienced its fourth warmest year on record in 2025, marked by an unprecedented succession of extreme weather events, according to an analysis by the National Meteorological Administration (ANM) quoted by the Ministry of Environment. The year was characterised by extreme heatwaves, severe drought, and episodes of intense rainfall, “confirming an accelerated warming trend and increasing weather variability.”

Official data showed that 2025 ranked as the fourth hottest year since measurements began in 1901, with an average annual temperature of 11.95°C, or 1.22°C above the 1991–2020 average.

The period between 2012 and 2025 represents the warmest 14 consecutive years ever recorded in Romania, pointing to a structural shift in the country’s climate rather than isolated fluctuations, the ministry said.

Last year was also characterised by extreme heatwaves, severe drought, and episodes of intense rainfall.

July 2025 saw extreme heat, with six nationwide red-code heat warnings and maximum temperatures reaching 43.4°C in Calafat, while values above 41°C were recorded at multiple stations in southern and western Romania. Violent storms were also reported, with wind gusts exceeding 150 km/h in Banloc and over 100 km/h in several mountainous and western areas.

Drought was another defining feature, with seven dry months recorded. June 2025 was the driest June on record, with just 18.9 mm of rainfall compared with a climatological average of 90.5 mm. Overall, the summer of 2025 ranked as the fourth driest nationwide, with Dobrogea the most affected region.

At the opposite extreme, the year also brought periods of exceptional rainfall. May was among the wettest months in recent decades, while October 2025 set new regional and national precipitation records, with more than 100 litres per square metre recorded at 51 meteorological stations during the first ten days of the month.

“2025 shows how rapidly weather patterns are changing in Romania. We are not talking only about higher temperatures, but about an increasingly risky combination of heatwaves, water scarcity, and violent rainfall over very short periods of time. This forces us to rethink the way we manage water, soil, and disaster-prevention infrastructure,” said environment minister Diana Buzoianu.

“From the very first day of my mandate, I have sought to bring alongside the Environment Ministry leading experts in climate change, capable of providing solutions based on science and solid data. It is a first for our institution to involve such specialists. In the coming period, we will present the first concrete result of the work carried out over recent months: forest management rules for forests that are increasingly affected by climate change,” she added.