Nostalgic 'Old Summer' Ends as Recent Years Prove Warmer

Estonia's summer this year, encompassing June, July, and August, proved to be rather unremarkable, failing to distinguish itself even when compared to temperatures from fifty or a hundred years ago. The season was characterized by a distinct lack of heatwaves, with maximum air temperatures in both June and July remaining just below the 30-degree Celsius mark.

According to data from Tartu-Tõravere, the average temperature in June was 16.5 degrees Celsius, rising slightly to 17.6 degrees in July. August is also expected to hover around 16.5 degrees. These figures represent a summer that, in a historical context, would have been considered moderately warm.

However, when contrasted with more recent periods, the difference becomes apparent. The average temperatures recorded between 1991 and 2020 show a marked increase. During this period, June averaged 15.5 degrees, July reached 18 degrees, and August averaged 16.7 degrees Celsius. This means that the latter half of the current summer, particularly August, feels comparatively cooler when measured against the warmer baseline of the last three decades.