Climate Change in Lithuania: 2025 Ranked as the Fifth Warmest Year Since 1961

The year 2025 in Lithuania was warmer and drier than usual. According to data from the Lithuanian Hydrometeorological Service, the average annual air temperature in Lithuania reached 8.4 °C, which is 1 °C above the climatological norm. In terms of warmth, 2025 ranked as the fifth warmest year since 1961. During the year, 22 hazardous and 3 catastrophic meteorological events, as well as 7 hazardous hydrological events, were recorded. However, these figures did not surpass those of 2024, which was the warmest year in the entire history of meteorological observations, with an average annual air temperature of 9.5 °C.

Seven months of the year were warmer than average, three were cooler, and two were close to the 1991–2020 climatological mean. January and March were unusually warm, while September surprised for the third consecutive year with summer-like conditions. May was very cold, and August was also cooler than average.
The highest air temperature in 2025 was recorded in Druskininkai on 3 July (35.6 °C), while the lowest temperature was observed in Šalčininkai on 16 February (–17.7 °C). During the year, 23 daily maximum air temperature records and 2 daily minimum air temperature records (during the spring frost period) were broken.

In 2025, no heatwave events were recorded in Lithuania, a situation not observed since 2017. The number of hot days was also the lowest since 2009. Only one tropical night was recorded during the year—on 22 July in Nida, when the minimum daily air temperature did not fall below 20.2 °C. This was the lowest number of tropical nights since 2008, when none were recorded at all.

The average annual precipitation in Lithuania in 2025 amounted to 675 mm, which is 3% below the norm. However, several months were extreme: February and April were very dry, while July was the third wettest month since 1961, when modern meteorological observations began. The highest annual precipitation total was recorded in Anykščiai (904 mm), and the lowest in Kybartai (489 mm).

In total, 22 hazardous and 3 catastrophic meteorological events, as well as 7 hazardous hydrological events, were recorded during the year.

On 22 April 2025, the first and unusually early warm-season (convective) storm of the year occurred. Hailstones, which may have reached up to 3 cm in diameter, caused damage by covering roads with hail and disrupting traffic. Due to strong winds and thunderstorms, electricity supply was temporarily interrupted for approximately 3,000 consumers. The agricultural sector suffered the most damage, as hailstones in some areas severely damaged rapeseed crops that were preparing to bloom.

Following a very warm March (with temperatures averaging 3.7 °C above normal), frosts that began on 25 April 2025 lasted until 24 May. This exceptionally long spring frost period, with intermittent breaks, lasted 32 days. Fruit trees and berry bushes were most severely affected. Due to the significant impact on horticulture and berry farming, a state-level emergency was declared.

Additional challenges for farmers arose from slow-moving summer storms in July, which resulted in prolonged heavy rainfall. On certain days in July, hazard-level rainfall and one catastrophic-level downpour were recorded. During a storm on 30 July, hazard-level precipitation amounts were measured at 28 stations, and catastrophic-level amounts at 3 stations. Intense rainfall caused lodging of cereal crops, flooding of gardens, orchards, and buildings, and in some places washed out roads. Saturated soils hindered harvesting operations, making it difficult to access fields and disrupting other agricultural activities. Due to the prolonged rainy period, a state-level emergency was declared.

The Copernicus Climate Change Service published its 2025 Global Climate Report, summarizing key global and regional climate trends. Globally, 2025 was the third warmest year on record, following 2023 and 2024. During the 2023–2025 period, global average temperatures exceeded 1.5 °C above pre-industrial levels (1850–1900) for three consecutive years—the first time this threshold has been exceeded for three years in a row. The average annual sea surface temperature was 0.38 °C higher than the 1991–2020 average, representing the third highest value in recorded history.

In Europe, 2025 was also the third warmest year on record, with an average temperature of 10.41 °C, which is 1.17 °C above the 1991–2020 average.