July of this year, the hottest month ever in Kosovo

July this year, the hottest month ever in Kosovo

The Kosovo Hydrometeorological Institute announced on Monday that record temperatures were recorded in July – over 40 degrees Celsius.

“The maximum values of 42.4°C in Klina and 42.3°C in Han i Elezit are unprecedented in the country’s climatic history and show a large deviation from the multi-year average for this month,” the Institute said in a Facebook post, indicating that the July average in Kosovo was between 30-35 degrees Celsius.

Before July 2025, the highest temperature ever recorded in Prizren was in 1987 – 40.8 degrees Celsius.

According to the Institute, the figures for July of this year are confirmation of scientific warnings about the acceleration of climate change.

“The increase in extreme temperatures is one of the most direct consequences of global warming. Climate models and international reports (e.g., IPCC) predict that Southeastern Europe, including the Balkans, will face more heat waves, long droughts, and rare but intense rainfall. July 2025 coincides with this trend, reflecting an increasingly unstable and thermally charged climate,” the Facebook post said.

The institute has also mentioned the consequences of high temperatures, saying that they contribute to an increase in heat-related illnesses – heatstroke, cardiovascular problems – then to stress for vegetation, animals and aquatic ecosystems, as well as to economic damage, due to damage to agriculture and increased energy consumption for cooling and risk to infrastructure.

“The climate events of July 2025 constitute a clear signal for the necessity of immediate and coordinated action to adapt to climate change. Responsible institutions must strengthen meteorological monitoring, urban planning, early warning systems and environmental policies to minimize future risks.”

This announcement comes as Kosovo is facing dozens of active fires, as a result of hot temperatures.

The Ministry of Health in Kosovo has recommended that public and private institutions implement measures to protect workers from extreme heat.

Kosovo has adopted environmental and climate strategies, which include measures to reduce pollution and promote sustainable development, but environmentalists continue to call for more focus on this sector.

According to a study conducted earlier this year by researchers from the United Kingdom, Denmark, the Netherlands and Switzerland, climate change has almost tripled the number of heat-related deaths in major European cities during extreme heat waves from late June to early July.

Climate scientists have said several times that several decades of greenhouse gas emissions have caused global temperatures to rise.

The world has warmed by 1.1 degrees Celsius compared to the industrial era, while countries aim to keep it below 1.5 degrees Celsius, to avoid major natural disasters. /REL