July 2024 became one of the hottest and driest months in the history of Ukraine. New temperature records were recorded in many regions of the country, and water levels in rivers dropped to unprecedented levels.
Forecaster Ihor Kibalchich noted that July of this year was marked by the steady dominance of a hot air mass of African origin, which led to a significant increase in the average monthly temperature by 4-5 °C above the climatic norm. In particular, in the western, central, southern regions and in the east of Ukraine, average monthly temperature records were set, exceeding the previous maximums for the entire period of instrumental observations.
In some regions of southern Ukraine, such as Kherson region, Mykolaiv region, and Crimea, the average monthly temperature reached +28.0...+28.8 °C. Such figures are typical for cities in the equatorial and sub-equatorial belt, such as Jakarta, Singapore, Mumbai and Manila.
July 2024 was also marked by exceptional drought. In the central, southern and eastern regions, only 5-15 mm of precipitation fell, which is 10-15% of the norm. This led to unprecedentedly low water levels in the rivers of the Siverskyi Dinets and Dnipro basins, where water levels reached historic lows.
This year, Ukraine has already experienced three record heat waves: in February, April and July. Kibalchich emphasized that such a frequency of heat records indicates a rapid increase in the rate of climate warming. Additional factors that may influence climate change in the region are the disappearance of the Kakhovsky Reservoir and active hostilities, although this issue requires further scientific research.
Kyiv also felt the effects of hot July. This month was the fifth warmest since records began in 1881. 13 temperature records were recorded in the capital, in particular, on July 16, the temperature reached +36°C, which became a new record for that day.
