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

Air temperature

Cold air that spread over the Russian Plain in the second half of June retained its positions at the beginning of July, but now in the north of the ETR and in the Volga region only, whereas in the south, abnormal heat arrived (with the first decade anomalies of +2…3° or higher), creating new temperature maxima in Central Russia and Crimea at the end of the first decade. In the second decade, the heat strengthened to even greater extent: the normal values for the decade were exceeded by 2-4° almost in the entire ETR, and new temperature maxima were recorded in the Azov region, New Russia and the Rostov Region in the south, in the Ivanovo, Ryazan and Vladimir Regions in the centre, and in the Leningrad Region, the Republic of Karelia and the White Sea coast in the north-west. The weather remained exceedingly hot in the third decade, when temperature maxima were updated from the Kola Peninsula to the North Caucasus, including the Leningrad and Murmansk Regions, Karelia, the North Caucasian Republics, Crimea, the Zaporozhye and Kherson Regions, the Krasnodar Territory, etc. However, in the north of the ETR, frosts already started to appear: light frosts were observed in the north-east of the Komi Republic.

In the Urals, the abnormally warm weather of the first decade changed to cool or even abnormally cold one in the next days of the month. At times, the cold permeated to Siberia and to the Far East, but did not reach record-breaking low temperatures there, with the exception of Chukotka where new temperature minima were set in the second decade. In contrast, there were many records of warmth on Sakhalin, in the Khabarovsk Territory on the coast of the Sea of Okhotsk, in the Altai Territory or the Republics of Altai and Tyva in the south of Siberia, and in Yakutia. High positive temperature anomalies were measured in the second half of the month in Yakutia, in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory, in the Amur region, in Primorye and on Sakhalin.

As a result, the average temperature in July 2025 turned out to be close to normal. The normal values were notably exceeded in the south of the ETR only (with +2° or higher anomalies). In the North-Caucasian Federal District, this July was the second warmest in the history of observations; there, the monthly-averaged temperature was higher in July 2024 only. The temperature averages in Primorye and on Sakhalin were also two or more degrees higher than normal.

A number of temperature maxima were set in the Arctic: on Dickson, new daily ones were recorded for the first time for three successive days. The monthly-averaged temperatures in several Arctic regions exceeded the normal values by two or more degrees.

In the countries of East Asia, new rules were introduced by the heat. The monthly-averaged temperatures in many regions of China, on the Korean Peninsula and in Japan were 2-4 or more degrees higher than normal. The thermometer readings would rise to above 40°. In Japan, a new National record for maximum air temperature was set. In China, July 2025 was the hottest July in the history of meteorological observations.

The temperature in the countries of South-East Asia was close to normal.

Cold weather did not want to leave India where the temperature averages remained, however slightly, sub-normal since June.

The monthly-averaged temperature in the countries of the Near and Middle East was about normal, but not without exceptions: it was excessively hot in the north of Iran and especially in Turkey, and in the Republics of the South Caucasus. There, the monthly-averaged temperatures were two or more degrees higher than normal. In Turkey, a new National record for maximum temperature of +50.5° was set in the south-east of the country.

The monthly-averaged temperature in Central Asia was noticeably above normal, two to three or more degrees above in the south of Kazakhstan, in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan and Kyrgyzstan.

In most of North Africa, the average July temperature was roughly normal, with weak positive anomalies as a rule. Only on the Mediterranean coast in Egypt and Libya, anomalies were higher than +2°. Weak negative anomalies of monthly-averaged temperature were recorded in the Sahel region.

In Europe, the unprecedented heat was observed in the Scandinavian countries where new temperature maxima in some places survived for several days in succession, and thermometer readings rose to +30° mark or exceeded it. New temperature maxima were also recorded in Belarus, and the air in Germany would heat up to 40°. Yet the average temperatures in most of the continent can be deemed slightly above-normal, with the exception of Scandinavia and a number of countries in the south-east of the continent where they were two to three or more degrees higher than normal. The monthly-averaged temperature on the continent is ranked as the second to third highest in the history of meteorological observations (along with that in July 2006), July 2024 remaining at the leading position.

The July temperature trends in most of the North American continent can be considered normal – in Canada, at the background of weak negative anomalies, and in the rest of the territory, at the background of positive ones. Fierce heat was reported in several areas of the US at the end of the month, when the thermometer readings rose above +40°, and new daily temperature maxima were recorded. The monthly-averaged temperature in some locations in Alaska and on the Atlantic coast was 2° above normal. Similar trends were observed in some areas of Mexico.

This July in the Northern Hemisphere was the third hottest in the meteorological chronicle since 1891, yielding to 2023 and 2024 only.

In Moscow, the average July temperature was +21.6°, an anomaly of +1.9°.

Sea Surface Temperature

In the equatorial Pacific, the neutral phase of the Southern Oscillation had been still observed since May 2024. As in the previous month, the SST of the Ocean at the subtropical and temperate latitudes was very high, exceeding 3-4° over a vast water area and allowing the average SST to take the second position in the ranking list of the highest values after the record-breaking July of the previous year. Abnormally cold water was observed in the Bering Sea.

In the western part of the subtropical and moderate latitudes of the Atlantic Ocean, abnormally high SST was also measured, even though with notably smaller anomalies than in the Pacific – not exceeding 2°. The water was very warm in the east and north of the Ocean as well. Anomalies in the Mediterranean Sea and around Europe were higher than +1…2°. The surface temperature of the Kara Sea was markedly above-normal.

Precipitation

In most of the Central and North-West Federal Districts, normal precipitation values were reached, although there were territories where the precipitation figures were much higher (the Lipetsk and Tambov Regions) or much smaller (the Vologda, Kostroma, Yaroslavl and Orel Regions). Heavy rains in the middle and the second half of the month were observed in the Leningrad, Novgorod, Moscow and Smolensk Regions and in several other areas of Central Russia. In some places, up to 50-70 mm of atmospheric moisture accumulated per day.

The situation with precipitation was completely different in the east and, the more so, in the south of the ETR. In the Volga region, the normal precipitation values were only reached in the Republics of Mordovia and Bashkortostan as well as in the Ulyanovsk, Penza, Saratov and Volgograd Regions, while all the rest of the territory experienced a shortage of precipitation. Less than half the normal precipitation amount was received in Udmurtia, Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, the Republics of the North Caucasus, Crimea and Donbass. But even there, occasional heavy showers brought up to 30-50 mm of rainwater per day (to the Volga region and to the Rostov Region).

Precipitation in the Urals was normal, or even up to one and a half the normal amount in the north of the region. At the end of the month, heavy rains passed across the southern Urals, bringing up to 40 mm of daily rainwater to some places in the Chelyabinsk Region.

Siberia and the Far East were the places of abundant precipitation: its monthly totals in the south of Western Siberia and in Kamchatka were 1.5 times the normal figure. In the rest of the territory, precipitation was normal, with the exception of the Republic of Tyva, the Irkutsk and Sakhalin Regions, the Primorye Territory and Chukotka where it was sub-normal. At the beginning of July, the record-breaking rains of intensity up to 40-60 mm/day fell in the south of the Khabarovsk Territory, and at the same time, downpours flooded Khakassia and Trans-Baikal. Yakutia was visited by heavy rains twice, in the middle and at the end of the month. There, new daily maxima of precipitation totals were set in some locations. At the end of the month, downpours hit the south of the Khabarovsk Territory, the Amur Region and Primorye, in some places bringing up to 40-50 mm of rainwater per day.

Despite the small quantity of rain in the countries of East Asia in July and the shortage of precipitation in most of the region, occasional heavy showers would occur there. Indeed, the downpours in China flooded Beijing and its surroundings in the twenties of July, bringing up to 500 mm of atmospheric moisture to some locations in three days. The water level in local rivers and reservoirs significantly increased, causing floods. In South Korea, up to 400 mm of rainwater also accumulated for three days in mid-July and led to a flooding that local experts called the most powerful in the last hundred years. The government of the country declared the highest level of weather danger.

The monthly precipitation totals in many areas of South-East Asia were estimated as significant, i.e., 1.5 times greater than normal. The prolonged downpours in the north of Thailand led to floods that were considered the most severe in more than forty years. New highs of precipitation totals were recorded. The water level in the rivers rose by more than ten metres.

Monsoon rains in South Asia continued: heavy showers inundating India, Pakistan and Nepal caused floods and landslides. The precipitation totals in a large part of the region were more than 1.5 times their normal figures.

The weather in the Near and Middle East as well as in Central Asia was basically dry; there, the monthly precipitation totals were notably less than normal.

Rains in North Africa fell in certain areas of the Mediterranean coast and, above all, to the western part of the region where they amounted to more than 1.5-2.0 of the normal quantity.

In Central and Eastern Europe, rains were in abundance, up to 1.5 times the normal monthly figure sometimes. Heavy showers fell in Ukraine and Belarus: in the latter country, up to the normal monthly precipitation amount accumulated in a few days. The monthly precipitation totals in the south-west (Spain, Portugal and southern France), the south-east (the Balkans) and the north of the continent (Scandinavia) were significantly less than normal.

The weather in the north of Canada was dry, while in the south and east of the country, the monthly precipitation totals were close to normal. In the north of the US across the border, precipitation was either normal, or increased. In the middle of July, showers flooded New York where the water in the streets was a knee deep, and underground passages as well as some subway stations were deluged. Although the weather in the south of the USA was mostly dry, the state of Texas suffered from torrential rains at the beginning of the month. There, more than 100 mm of rainwater fell in some places in three hours, the water level in the rivers rose to six metres, and floods occurred.

In Moscow, 122 mm of precipitation fell in July, which is approximately 1.5 of its normal amount.