The year 2024 is the warmest year in the history of meteorological measurements in Romania, according to the National Meteorological Administration.
„This is an era in which the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly dangerous,” says Minister of Environment Mircea Fechet.
2024 has also been confirmed by the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S) as the warmest year recorded globally and the first calendar year in which the global average temperature exceeded 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.
„These records announced by my colleagues from ANM only serve to worry us and underline what we knew: it is an era in which the effects of climate change are becoming increasingly dangerous. This is because they bring about extreme weather events more and more often: droughts, floods, strong storms, wildfires, and so on. Therefore, we need to rethink how we approach things.
It is crucial to implement measures that combat these effects of climate change by reducing greenhouse gas emissions, introducing innovative technologies, having management adapted to this situation regarding water, waste, afforestation. We need a different approach regarding the exploitation of natural resources. What I want to emphasize is that climate change affects each and every one of us and we need to act now!” emphasized Minister of Environment, Waters, and Forests, Mircea Fechet.
The period 2012-2024 represents the warmest 13-year period consecutively with positive annual temperature anomalies, the top 5 warmest years from 1900-2024 being 2024, 2023, 2019, 2020, and 2022.
In 2024, within 10 months, there were positive monthly temperature anomalies, with the highest, in descending order, being February, followed by June, July, March, and August. Additionally, February 2024 recorded the highest average monthly temperature. Regarding the temperature records of 2024 in Romania, the winter of 2023-2024 was the warmest winter from 1900-2024, with a seasonal average temperature of 3.66 degrees Celsius, and a deviation of +3.85 degrees Celsius compared to the 1991-2020 interval average.
Moreover, the summer of 2024 was the warmest summer from 1900-2024, with a seasonal average temperature of 22.80 degrees Celsius, and a deviation of +3.50 degrees Celsius compared to the 1991-2020 interval average.
The months of June, July, and August were the warmest summer months in history, with temperature anomalies of +3.20 degrees Celsius in August 2024, +3.50 degrees Celsius in July 2024, and 3.70 degrees Celsius in June 2024, compared to the normal temperatures of these months.
In the summer of 2024, the earliest red heatwave warning was issued on June 22-23, and in July and August, a red warning for the longest consecutive periods of persistent, intense, and extensive heat waves, namely 6 consecutive days during the periods of July 13-18 and August 15-20, 2024.
Additionally, in the summer of 2024, 15 red meteorological warnings were issued for heatwaves, persistent heat waves, and particularly intense thermal discomfort. The highest maximum temperatures were: 39.1 degrees Celsius in June 2024 in Alexandria, 41.7 degrees Celsius in July 2024 in Cernavodă, and 41.1 degrees Celsius in August 2024 in Zimnicea.
In 2024, a total of 166 general weather alerts were issued, including 18 red alerts.