Climate
According Republic Hydrometeorological Service, the climate of Serbia is moderately continental. Spatial distribution of climate parameters is determined by geographical position (latitude and longitude), orography (altitude, terrain exposure, and inclination), presence of river systems, vegetation, urbanisation, etc. The prevailing meridional direction of rivers and plains in the northern area of the country makes possible a deep southward intrusion of polar air masses.
Average annual air temperatures varied with altitude. Areas at altitudes between 300 and 500 m had an average annual temperature of around 10.0ºC, and those of over 1000 m altitude around 6.0ºC. Absolute temperature maximum were measured in July and they ranged between 37.1 and 42.3ºC in lower regions, and 27.6 and 34.0ºC in mountainous areas. July was the warmest month of the year with mean monthly temperatures in the interval from 11.0 to 22.0ºC. Lowland areas (up to 300 m a.s.l.) had July temperature between 20.0 and 22.0ºC. The July temperature ranged between 11.0 and 16.0ºC at altitudes above 1000 m. The lowest temperatures over the 1961-1990 period were recorded in January, ranging between –35.6 (Sjenica) and –21.0 ºC (Belgrade). The highest temperature of +44.3ºC was measured in Kraljevo on July 22, 1939. The lowest temperature of –39.0ºC was measured at Karajukica Bunari on the Pešter plateau on January 26, 2006.
Precipitation is one of the most important elements of climate. The annual precipitation, averaged for whole country amounted to 896 mm. Precipitation generally increase with altitude. Dry areas with precipitation below 600 mm are situated in the north-eastern parts of the country, in the South Morava valley and part of Kosovo. Average annual precipitation at the Pešter plateau and Mt. Kopaonik was much higher (up to 1000 mm), and some mountainous summits in the south-west of Serbia had even heavier precipitation of over 1000 mm. Serbia has a predominantly continental pattern of precipitation with higher amounts in the warmer period of the
year. Most rains fell in June and May, while February and October had the least precipitation. South-western Serbia has a Mediterranean precipitation pattern with maximums in November, December and January, and minimums in August. Snow cover was characteristic of the period between November and March, and sometimes even April and October, but snowfall also occurred in other months of the year in mountainous areas exceeding 1000 m altitude. January had the highest number of days with snow cover, accounting for an average of 30-40% of the total number of snowy days.
Considering precipitation records since the beginning of measuring, the driest year was 2000 when precipitation measured merely 223.1 mm in Kikinda. Rainfall was heaviest in 1937 with as much as 1,324.5 mm measured in Loznica. The highest monthly precipitation of 308.9 mm was recorded in Sremska Mitrovica in June 1954, and the
highest daily precipitation of 211.1 mm in Negotin on October 10th, 1955. 50 Annual solar radiation ranges between 1500 and 2200 hours annually.
Surface air circulation is mostly the result of orographic factors. In the warmer part of the year, winds from north-west and west prevail, while easterly and south-easterly winds, the so-called “košava”, predominate in the colder period of the year. Winds from the south-western direction prevail in the mountainous parts of south-western Serbia.
