Serbia Climate – July 2026 Update
Top 5 Cities: Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac, and Subotica
Summary
Serbia experienced continued summer heat in July 2026 as an ongoing regional drought pushed water levels on major rivers like the Danube to historic lows. The dry spell has strained power generation and river transport across the country, while average temperatures remained nearly 2°C above the historical baseline. Globally, the three-month period from May to July 2026 ranked as the 2nd warmest May–July on record. High temperatures and dry conditions are expected to persist across the region in the coming weeks.
This month in numbers
Serbia's July 2026 average temperature reached 22.09°C, running 1.8°C above the 1961–1990 baseline and ranking as the 20th warmest July in 87 years of record-keeping. On a global scale, July 2026 recorded a global land temperature of 15.8°C (+1.6°C anomaly), making it the 3rd warmest July on record. Over the three months from May to July 2026, Serbia averaged 19.95°C (+1.8°C anomaly), which ranked 15th warmest on record, while globally the same three-month window was the 2nd warmest May–July on record.
What changed
After an exceptionally mild start to the year in February (+3.3°C anomaly) and March (+2.2°C anomaly), Serbia saw a brief return to near-average warmth in April and May before temperatures surged again in June (+3.1°C anomaly). The country's long-term warming trend stands at +1.75°C above the 1961–1990 baseline, following its warmest year on record in 2024 (13.27°C) and its 4th warmest in 2025 (12.26°C).
What’s driving change?
The summer heat across Southeast Europe has been exacerbated by persistent that trap stagnant, hot air masses over the Balkan Peninsula. As the ground dries out, prevents natural evaporative cooling, accelerating surface temperature increases and deepening regional drought conditions. All of Serbia's 1 drought this year has happened in the past month. The active regional drought is tracked on our live map at Extreme Weather tracker.
Looking ahead
Seasonal forecasting models suggest that above-average temperatures and drier-than-normal conditions are likely to persist across the Balkans into autumn.
Generated by Gemini from climate data and web sources
At a Glance
Temperature – Average
Climate Map – Global
Source: NOAA Climate at a Glance (countries & continents) · Met Office (UK) · US states & climate regions. Anomalies are vs the 1961–1990 baseline. See methodology.
Typical Climate – Serbia
Köppen Cfa · TemperateSerbia has a temperate climate (Köppen Cfa: Humid subtropical), with distinct warm summers and cool-to-cold winters. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 22.6°C, while January is the coldest at 0.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 727mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Monthly climate normals (2016–2025) - bar colour and height show average temperature, the shaded area shows average monthly rain, with snow (water-equivalent) shown separately.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Long-Term Trends
Combined Timeline – Serbia
Right axis: everything else standardized to standard deviations (σ) from its own average, since mm/hours/days aren't directly comparable to °C or to each other.
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Heatwave Days – Serbia
Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI heatwave measure: days in a 6+ day run above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that time of year.
Data: World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal (ERA5-derived). Refreshed roughly 1-2x/year, ~7-8 months behind present.
Year-on-Year Trends
The 4byo Climate Helix – Serbia
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Monthly Temperature – Serbia
Background lines show the last 40 years (plus the record year and its opposite, wherever they fall).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Records – Serbia
Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP) - Anomalies vs 1901-2000 mean
Shifting Seasons
Warm / cold seasonsKöppen Dfb · ContinentalHow spring and autumn have shifted in Serbia. Spring is defined as the date monthly temperatures first rise above the long-term annual mean (10.2°C, from 1940–1969); autumn is the date they fall back below it. Temperature swings 23.7°C peak-to-peak across the year - a classic four-seasons rhythm.
Baseline vs recent monthly temperature climatology. Biggest warming: Feb (+4.1°C).
Data: Our World in Data / NOAA (precipitation: GPCC (DWD); frost: World Bank CCKP).
Emissions & Energy
Explore
Explore Climate Data
Data Sources
Data Sources for Serbia
Every figure on this page is sourced from official, openly published climate datasets. Anomalies are calculated against the 1961–1990 baseline (temperature) and 1991–2020 (rainfall, sunshine, frost) - see the Methodology & Sources page for the complete dataset list and update calendar.
Country-level temperature anomaly, sourced from Copernicus ERA5 and Hadley HadCRUT5.
Annual country and global CO₂ emissions, from the Global Carbon Project.
Monthly rainfall - Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD) preferred, World Bank CCKP/CRU TS fallback where GPCC lacks direct coverage.
Frost Days and Heatwave Days (Warm Spell Duration Index), ERA5-derived. World Bank Climate Change Knowledge Portal.
Monthly snow water-equivalent, Global Precipitation Climatology Centre (DWD).
FAQs
FAQs
How is the climate in Serbia changing?
Serbia is warming in line with the rest of the world. The page above shows the latest monthly temperature anomaly versus the 1961-1990 baseline, the long-term annual trend, and the region's rank in the historical record. The headline panel also shows the long-term trend rate per decade and the warmest and coolest years on file.
What is the climate like in Serbia?
Serbia has a temperate climate (Köppen Cfa: Humid subtropical), with distinct warm summers and cool-to-cold winters. July is typically the warmest month, averaging 22.6°C, while January is the coldest at 0.6°C. Annual precipitation averages around 727mm, spread fairly evenly across the year.
Where does the climate data for Serbia come from?
Climate data for Serbia comes from Our World in Data, sourcing Copernicus ERA5 and HadCRUT5 (national temperature anomaly) and the Global Carbon Project via Our World in Data (CO₂ emissions), refreshed every month, when the upstream temperature and rainfall data are refreshed.
What is the climate baseline used on this page?
Anomalies on this page are calculated against the 1961-1990 climatological baseline, which is the standard reference period used by the Met Office, NOAA, IPCC and most national climate services. Some panels also show the source-native 1901-2000 (NOAA) or 1991-2020 (WMO) baselines for verification. See Methodology & Sources for the full reference.
Which areas does the Serbia climate data cover?
The Serbia climate profile covers Belgrade, Novi Sad, Niš, Kragujevac and surrounding areas. Temperature, rainfall and emissions data for Serbia
How often is the Serbia climate update refreshed?
The Serbia climate update is refreshed monthly, typically a few days after the previous month closes and the upstream provider (Met Office HadUK-Grid, NOAA Climate at a Glance, Copernicus ERA5 or the Global Carbon Project) publishes its update. See the Climate Rankings for cross-region comparisons.
What counts as a Heatwave Day on the Serbia climate page?
Heatwave Days use the Warm Spell Duration Index (WSDI) - the WMO/ETCCDI-standard heatwave measure: days that are part of a run of 6 or more consecutive days above the local 90th-percentile temperature for that calendar day. The 90th-percentile threshold varies by time of year (a hot day in January is judged differently to one in July) but is fixed to the 1961-1990 baseline for every year shown - it does not shift as the climate warms, which is why Heatwave Days trend upward over time.
Does the Serbia climate page include frost and snow data?
Yes. Frost Days (days with a minimum temperature below 0°C, World Bank CCKP) and snow water-equivalent (GPCC) are shown alongside temperature and precipitation, each measured against the 1961-1990 baseline where a like-for-like historical comparison is available.