Western Romania breaks 150 temperature records in 7 days as atypical heatwave hits

An intense and persistent heatwave brought one of the most difficult periods of this summer to Romania. Unlike traditional heat episodes, when the highest temperatures were usually recorded in the south and east, the heat pole shifted unusually to the western and northwestern regions.

The phenomenon was driven by a tropical air mass advancing from central and southern Europe under a persistent atmospheric blocking pattern. This configuration allowed hot air to accumulate and persist over Banat, Crișana, Transylvania and Maramureș, producing extreme temperatures that broke records dating back decades. Stations in the west and northwest reported values comparable to or even higher than those typically seen in southern Bărăgan or Oltenia.

The peak of the episode was reached on 5 and 6 August, when temperatures exceeded the 40°C threshold at multiple stations. On 5 August, Săcueni (Bihor county) reported 40.5°C, while Oradea and Holod each recorded 40.1°C. On 6 August, Săcueni reached an absolute maximum of 41.2°C, surpassing both the previous August monthly record of 40.3°C and the daily record of 38.6°C.

Other stations on 6 August included Sânnicolau Mare at 40.3°C (breaking the monthly record of 40.1°C), Chișineu-Criș at 40.1°C (equaling the absolute monthly record), Satu Mare at 39.5°C and Supuru de Jos at 39.1°C (both new absolute monthly records), Oradea at 39.8°C, and Holod at 38.9°C. In total, 150 temperature records were broken across the region in just 7 days.