By 26 August, the record for the average daily air temperature was broken at the Bilogora and Gradište stations.
This August was the warmest month ever recorded at 23 stations, and since 1961 it was the warmest at 16 stations (Bilogora, Bjelovar, Daruvar, Dubrovnik, Gospić, Gradište, Osijek, Parg, Puntijarka, Rijeka, Senj, Sisak, Slavonski Brod, Zadar, Zagreb - Maksimir, Zavižan).
The record for maximum daily air temperature was exceeded at 17 stations, and daily maximums since 1961 were surpassed at 13 stations.
This July was also record-breakingly warm at almost all DHMZ stations, March was among the three warmest, and February had the highest average temperatures ever recorded.
The same trend was observed with average maximum air temperatures.
Regarding sea temperature, it reached 30 degrees Celsius in Dubrovnik on 16 July. This matched the highest sea temperature ever recorded in Croatia at DHMZ stations, measured in Crikvenica on 18 July 2023.
Meteorologists point out that this year's record for Dubrovnik has not yet undergone all necessary verification steps, so the valid absolute maximum for the southern Adriatic city is still considered to be 29.1 degrees, measured on 4 July 2022.
Three heatwaves affected a larger part of the country than last year
This year, Croatia experienced three heatwaves, and preliminary data indicate that this year's warnings for their occurrence were more widespread across the country than in 2023.
Meteorologists and forecasters estimate that due to global warming, the temperature increase will continue, leading to further rises in minimum and maximum air temperatures. Although not every summer will necessarily be warmer than the previous one, heatwaves in the future are expected to be more intense, longer-lasting, and cover a larger area than in past decades.