MAIN WEATHER AND CLIMATE TRAITS IN THE NORTHERN HEMISPHERE AS OF JUNE 2025 

Air temperature

The abnormally warm weather settled in the ETR in May remained there at the beginning of June, with new temperature maxima recorded in the south of the ETR and in the Middle Urals. Such warmth in early June has not been seen in the Urals for more than fifty years. The decade-averaged temperature anomalies were 2-3° in most of the European territory, and up to 4-5° in the Urals. Everything changed radically in the second half of the month, when the Arctic cold hit the Russian Plain. New temperature minima were recorded in some places in Central Russia, and it came to frosts in the Russian North. The anomalies in the second and third decades amounted to -2…-3°.

In Siberia and the Far East, the trends were quite different: in the north, the air temperature was sub-normal almost the entire month, and in the south, the same was observed in some places in the first decade only. Further south in Siberia and in the Far East, the weather was abnormally warm with the decade-averaged temperature anomalies reaching +3-4° or more and new daily temperature maxima recorded again and again. The air heated up to 34-36° in the Omsk, Novosibirsk, Kemerovo and Irkutsk Regions, in the south of the Krasnoyarsk Territory, in the Republic of Tyva and in Trans-Baikal; the thermometers indicated up to 30-35° in Primorye.

Eventually in terms of the monthly averages, the European territory as well as the north of the Far East were in the cold weather zone (negative anomalies of monthly-averaged temperature), whereas the eastern areas of the Volga region, the Urals, the south of Western Siberia, and Primorye were in the warm weather zone (positive anomalies of monthly-averaged temperature).

The monthly-averaged air temperature in the Asian Territory of Russia closed the top five highest in the history of observations (the same applies to the south of the Far East), and the temperature in Siberia had the seventh rank. But for Russia as a whole and for individual ETR regions, the monthly-averaged temperature did not largely differ from normal, and in the North-West, Central, South and North-Caucasian Federal Districts as well as in the north of the Far Eastern one, it was lower than normal.

This June was very warm in the countries of East Asia. The average air temperature in eastern China, in Japan and on the Korean Peninsula was two or more degrees higher than normal, with new air temperature maxima recorded in bulk. The thermometer readings rose to above +35-37°. In China and Japan, this was the hottest June in the history of observations. 

Approximately normal temperature against the background of weak positive anomalies was observed in the countries of South-East Asia.

In India, the temperature was also about normal, but now against the background of weak negative anomalies.

The weather in Central Asia was very hot, in excess of 40°. The monthly-averaged temperature anomalies in Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan reached +2° and more.

The temperature in the countries of the Near and Middle East was close to normal, albeit that with weak negative anomalies in the west of Iran, and with weak positive ones in the rest of the region.

In North Africa, the weather was noticeably hotter than usual in the north-west of the continent only (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco) with monthly-averaged air temperature anomalies of +2° and more in the territories adjacent to the Mediterranean Sea, while in the rest of this continent in the Northern Hemisphere, the temperature was close to normal.

June in Europe was very hot: it was the third hottest after 2019 and 2022. The monthly-averaged temperature in a vast area from Poland, Hungary, Romania and Greece in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west was 2-3° above normal, or 4° above in some locations. According to the Spanish meteorological service, this June was the hottest in the country in the entire history of meteorological observations. The thermometer readings repeatedly rose above 40°, and a new National maximum of air temperature for June equal to +46.0° was set. Temperatures above 30-35° were observed in Germany, the Netherlands, the UK and the other countries. In Great Britain and France, this June was the second hottest in history. The weather was slightly cooler than usual only in the east of Scandinavia and in the Baltic countries.

In the countries of North America, the temperature was about normal. In the US, the extreme heat settled in the states of Utah, Minnesota, Wyoming and Michigan at the end of the month. The thermometer readings would rise to above 40° in some places, or to 45° in Southern California. In terms of the monthly averages, the weather was notably warmer than usual in the west of the country only (with anomalies of +2° or more). In Canada, the same was true for the territory located north of the Hudson Bay.

The average temperature in the Northern Hemisphere calculated to 0.1°C accuracy was ranked as the second to seventh highest in the history of observations since 1891, June 2024 remaining the leader.

In Moscow, the average June temperature was 16.9°: an anomaly of -0.4°.

Sea Surface Temperature

The SST of the Pacific Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere remained record high. At the subtropical latitudes in the central part of the Ocean, the monthly-averaged temperature anomalies exceeded 4°, which has never been observed before. It should be noted that this has happened in the year when no El Niño was in place. Such warm water is a good breeding ground for emerging typhoons. Abnormally warm water occupied a much larger part of the Pacific water body in the Northern Hemisphere than the area of weak negative anomalies that was located at the east of the tropical latitudes closer to North America.

The average SST anomaly of the Atlantic Ocean in the Northern Hemisphere continued to decrease. Now, the SST anomalies were notably smaller than at the same time in 2023 and 2024. High positive SST anomalies (of +1…2° or more) were situated off the coast of Europe and in the Mediterranean Sea. Positive anomalies took place on the boundary of the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans. The water temperature in the Barents Sea was extremely high.

Precipitation

This June, Russia received a lot of atmospheric moisture: its shortage was observed in the North Caucasus and Crimea only, but in other constituent entities of the Federation, precipitation was normal or increased. The monthly precipitation totals in some regions were two to three times above the normal values; often, precipitation was heavy and prolonged. Central Russia and the Volga region were visited by rain several times a month. In some places, new daily precipitation maxima were recorded, and the rain intensity reached 20 mm/hour. Most precipitation in the North-West Federal District fell in the first and third decades: there, up to 40 mm of rainwater accumulated per day, and new daily maxima were set. In the middle of the month, downpours hit the Krasnodar Territory where a number of weather stations reported the precipitation total for the month after just a three-day rainy period. The heaviest shower fell in Novorossiysk to bring up to 30 mm of atmospheric moisture in a quarter of an hour. Crimea experienced a severe soil drought that has not been seen there for more than fifty years: many weather stations in eastern Crimea have recorded not a drop of rain in June.

Normal or slightly increased precipitation was generally noted in the Urals and to the east of them; the precipitation shortage was only observed in the Cis-Urals and Trans-Urals. At times, there was a lot of rain: thus, new daily precipitation maxima for June were reported by some weather stations in Altai. The heaviest rains that fell in the Amur region, in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory, on Sakhalin and the Kuril Islands brought up to 30-60 mm of precipitation each day, with new daily maxima recorded as well.

In China, significant precipitation (1.5-3.0 times the normal figure) was observed in the north-east and east of the country, while in the south, precipitation was normal. Showers in the south of China caused floods. According to Chinese meteorologists, these monsoon downpours topped many record-breaking achievements to become the strongest in recent years. Precipitation in Japan and on the Korean Peninsula was roughly normal. In Mongolia, precipitation was normal or increased in the north, as opposed to dryness in the south.

Heavy rains hit Vietnam, leading to floods. The monthly precipitation totals were normal or increased in the north of the country and sub-normal in the south.

Monsoon rains falling in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Myanmar were the heaviest in the Indian state of Assam. These rains led to floods. In terms of the monthly figures, precipitation was normal or increased, except for the southern regions of India, were it was altogether scanty.

Almost no rain fell in the Near and Middle East.

Rains in Central Asia were only observed in the north and north-west of Kazakhstan and in the north of Uzbekistan. The weather in the rest of the region was dry.

In North Africa, rain fell from south of Algeria to the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean, and partially along the Mediterranean coast.

The Europeans weary of heat did not receive almost any rain in June. Precipitation was normal or increased in Belarus and the Baltic countries only. There, record-breaking daily maxima were set in some places.

In North America, rain fell in normal or above-normal amounts in the east of the USA and Canada as well as in most of Mexico. The western territories of the United States and Canada received virtually no atmospheric moisture.

In Moscow, 77 mm of rainwater fell in June. This is normal.