Record-Breaking Heat in Serbia: A Harbinger of Global Warming
Serbia’s Hottest Year on Record
Serbia has marked the hottest year in its recorded history in 2024, according to the Balkan country’s meteorological office. The average surface air temperature last year was 13.3°C, which is 2.3°C higher than the average for the period 1991-2020 and almost 1°C more than the previously hottest year – 2023.
Global Warming on the Rise
Globally, the United Nations’ climate and weather agency has said 2024 is set to be the warmest ever seen across the planet since records began being kept, capping a decade of unprecedented heat fuelled by human activity. UN leaders and climate scientists blame global heating for a string of devastating floods, fires, heatwaves, and hurricanes across the world in 2024.
Serbia’s Unprecedented Heat
Serbia was not spared, enduring a series of heatwaves in June, July, and August. The Serbian met office reported a record number of days when temperatures topped 35°C, the highest ever number of tropical nights, and the smallest ever number of frosty and icy days. Physicist Irida Lazic noted that Serbia had been more like the Mediterranean than the Balkans last year, with temperatures typical of coastal regions in Spain, Italy, or Greece in the period 1961-1990.
Accelerating Global Heating
In a sign of accelerating global heating, the met office report said all of the 10 hottest years in Serbian recorded history had occurred since the year 2000. Of the hottest 20 years recorded, all had been in the 21st century except for 1994 and 1951. The town of Negotin in eastern Serbia, known for its very cold winters, witnessed its lowest ever snowfall in 2024, just 2cm. Several weather stations reported their fewest ever days of snow cover.
Global Warming Targets
The 2015 Paris climate accords aimed to limit global warming to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels – and to 1.5°C if possible. Last year, the average global temperature was 1.45°C hotter than before the industrial revolution, when humans started burning large amounts of fossil fuels. The UN’s World Meteorological Organization is set to publish the consolidated global temperature figure for 2024 in January.
Conclusion
Serbia’s record-breaking heat in 2024 is a stark reminder of the devastating impacts of global warming. As the world continues to grapple with the consequences of climate change, it is imperative that we take immediate and drastic action to reduce our carbon footprint and transition to renewable energy sources.
FAQs
- What was the average surface air temperature in Serbia in 2024?
- 13.3°C
- How many degrees higher was the average surface air temperature in 2024 compared to the average for the period 1991-2020?
- 2.3°C
- Is 2024 expected to be the warmest year on record globally?
- Yes, according to the United Nations’ climate and weather agency.
- What is the target for global warming set by the 2015 Paris climate accords?
- Well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and to 1.5°C if possible.