January brought Romania temperature drops of more than 40 °C across the country, with some cities 3 °C above normal for the whole month, which is quite a lot. Also in January, ANM’s analysis shows that the weather station with the highest amount of rainfall received more than 50 times the rainfall of the station experiencing the winter drought.

January 2024, temperature in Romania

The average temperature in January 2024 ranged from -9.4 °C at the weather station Vf.Omu to 3.7 °C at Constanta-Dig.

The average monthly air temperature in the country in January 2024 was 0.8 °C. Therefore, January 2024 is the 13th warmest January in the interval 1901 – 2024. The warmest was January 2023, with an average of +3.3 °C, and the coldest was 1963, with a national average of -9.3 °C . The difference between the warmest and coldest first month of the year is more than 12 °C in the last 64 years.

• 2024 hasn’t even started well and we’ve already had an episode of extreme weather in Romania

The national averages have been positive over the last four years, and the general trend in the analyzed interval is increasing.

The deviation of the average air temperature in the country compared to the median of the standard reference interval (1991 – 2020), starting from January, from the period 1901 – 2024 had only positive values, starting from 2020, the maximum deviation of 5.3 °C was recorded in 2007 and 2023, according to ANM data.

The maximum monthly temperature of January 2024, recorded at the weather stations of the National Meteorological Administration network, was 17.8 °C on January 4 in Tourne-Magurele. The minimum monthly temperature, -24.4 °C, was recorded at Intorsura Buzăului on January 30, 2024.

The deviation of the average air temperature in January 2024 from the median of the standard interval (1991-2020) throughout the country was positive. The highest deviation values, above 2.5 °C, were recorded in the center and south of Transylvania, in the west of Crisana and Maramureş, and separately in Moldova.

Weather stations Alba Iulia and Satu Mare were the warmest compared to the norm with a deviation of 3.0 °C. The smallest value of the deviation was 0.1 °C at the Jezer weather station (Maramureş county).

January 2024, rain and snow in Romania

The total amount of precipitation in January 2024 was less than 50 mm in most flat, hilly and plateau-like areas. Values ​​above this threshold were recorded in the mountainous area, in most of Maramures, in the north of Muntenia and in the east of Moldova.

In the highlands (mainly above 2,000 m), rainfall of 100-150 mm was recorded, and monthly rainfall exceeded 200 mm separately in the Apuseni Mountains. The highest value, namely 230 mm, was recorded at the Stâna de Vale weather station. The highest value of maximum rainfall recorded in 24 hours was 46 mm and was also recorded at the weather station Stâna de Vale, according to an analysis by the National Agency for National Statistics.

Locally, in Transylvania, in the south of Moldova, and separately, in Bărăgan, values ​​below 10 mm were recorded. The lowest value of the monthly amount of precipitation, 4.5 mm, was recorded at the weather station Obarsya Lotruluy (Vilcha county). Obarsia Lotrului is one of the poles of cold, the weather station is located at an altitude of 1350 m above sea level. Last month there were several frosty days, the minimums approached -19 C and did not rise above +8 C.

The highest value of positive deviation in January at the national level was 353%, at the weather station Călimani (Rețitis). So, more than four times more than the monthly norm fell and a new January record was set (the previous one was from 2019).

Negative deviations were registered at 59 weather stations, most of which are located in Dobruja, the Danube Delta, Oltenia, Muntenia, in the center of Transylvania and in the south of Moldova. The largest value of negative deviation was 77% at the Galati weather station.

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