Canicular summer 2021 in south-west Romania in the context of climate change.

Abstract

The particularly hot summer of 2021 occurred after the third Mediterranean winter registered in Oltenia. Although the winter was warm, being the third warmest winter in descending order of the seasonal average, the spring of 2021 was cold not only in Oltenia, even in the Northern Hemisphere being considered one of the coldest springs. This weather remained until 15.VI, then on 22.VI began the first heat wave of summer 2021. During the summer of 2021 there were 6 heat waves that had several peaks. (19) with intensities frequently exceeding 38,0°C. The summer maximum temperature was 41.1°C recorded on 1.VIII.2021 in Calafat. The drought and heat wave were intense, and the total duration of the heat waves was 50 days (54.3% of summer days). The particularly hot summer of 2021 was recorded in atypical conditions with neutral Southern Oscillation (ENSO). All spring crops were severely affected. The paper analyses the climatic conditions in the summer of 2021 in Oltenia and climate variability.