Researchers from the UB faculty of Physics, among the 26 authors of the “State of the climate – Romania 2026” report

The “State of the Climate – Romania 2026” report, launched by InfoClima, analyzes the evolution of climate in Europe and Romania, the effects of extreme weather events and the impact of heat on health. Researchers from the Faculty of Physics of the University of Bucharest have contributed to three of the 14 chapters of the report, focused on severe storms, Europe’s accelerated warming and the effects of heat on health.

 Having reached its third edition, the “State of the Climate – Romania 2026” report has been produced in scientific partnership with the Advisory Scientific Council on Climate Change. This year’s edition brings together the contributions of 26 researchers and experts and comprises 14 chapters structured into four sections.

Out of all the chapters, three are dedicated to the evolution of European climate, severe storms in Romania and the efects of heat on health. These are authored by lecturer Bogdan Antonescu, PhD, professor Mihai Dima, Phd, and doctoral student Denis Nichita of the Faculty of Physics of the University of Bucharest, and offer data on climte change and their implications for Romania.

Storms are less frequent, but carry more energy

Chapter 3, “Severe storms in Romania in the context of climate change”, signed by lecturer Bogdan Antonescu, PhD, and Dragoș Ene, analyzes the evolution of storm-favourable weather conditions and severe phenomena associated with these.

The number of hours with conditions favourable to storms has decreased, but the energy available when a storm develops is 7–9% higher than it was in 1979. The year 2025 was the “calmest” year for storms since 1979, but 219 episodes of large hail were recorded, close to the record set in 2024. Severe storms caused 10 deaths and at least 37 injuries.

“The decrease in the number of hours favourable to storms is not good news, but rather a change in the nature of the risk: fewer opportunities for storms to occur, but each carrying more energy,” write Bogdan Antonescu and Dragoș Ene.

The chapter also highlights financial vulnerability in the face of extreme phenomena: less than 3% of the losses caused by these between 1980-2024 were insured in Romania, compared to the European average of 20%

Europe is warming rapidly, with implications for Romania

Chapter 4, “Europe Is Warming Rapidly: Implications for Romania,” authored by professor Mihai Dima, PhD, and doctoral student Denis Nichita, analyzes the pace of warming across the continent and its implications for Romania.

Since the 1990s, temperatures in Europe have been rising by about 0,56°C each decade, two times faster than the global average. Alpine glaciers, which also feed the Danube River, have lost 55% of their volume since 1990. Given this context, the authors consider water resources Romania’s most vulnerable resource.

The chapter also raises four open questions that concern adaptation to climate change, among which the effect of a weakening of the North Atlantic circulation on droughts and heatwaves.

The data presented in the report shows the scale of the phenomena of recently observed in Romania: 90,8% of its territories were affected by drought in January 2025, and in July 2026, 96% of the analyzed sections of the Danube recorded below-normal flows.

Heat and its effects on health: thousands of deaths associated to high temperatures

Chapter 5, “Heat and Health in Romania,” co-authored by several researchers, includin lecturer Bogdan Antonescu, PhD, examines the effects of heat on the health of the population, and the differences between the various regions of the country.

Between June and September 2025, heat was associated with approximately 2,879 deaths, more than twice the number of people killed in road traffic accidents over an entire year. Two-thirds of these deaths occurred among people over the age of 75, who account for 8% of the population. Their risk was 21 times higher than that of the rest of the population.

Differences between counties are substantial. In Teleorman County, an estimated 490 heat-associated deaths occurred per million inhabitants, compared with 18 deaths per million inhabitants in Bistrița-Năsăud County.

The report also highlights the impact of the urban heat island effect, which puts 12 million Romanians at risk. In Bucharest, an estimated 425 deaths were attributed to heat, equivalent to 248 deaths per million inhabitants, compared with 110 per million in Ilfov County, even though the two areas have virtually the same climate.

From climate data to decision making

The three chapters authored by the researchers of the Faculty of Physics of the University of Bucharest demostrate how climate change is reflected in the volution of severe weather phenomena, in water reousces and population health.

The “State of the Climate – Romania 2026” report approaches both observed changes, as well as their costs and measures necessary for adapting to them. The data presented also includes information concerning the use of available resources for preventing the effects of climate change: out of the 9,2 billion euro available until 2027, only 4,8% can be found in projects that are actively being implemented.

The report thus stresses the importance of using data and scientific research in understanding climate risks and in fundamenting public policy decisions.

The full “State of the Climate – Romania 2026” report is available on the report’s official website.

More information about the three chapters authored by the researchers of the Faculty of Physics are available here, in Romanian:

• Chapter 3 – Severe storms in Romania in the context of climate change
• Chapter 4 – Europe is warming rapidly. Implications for Romania
• Chapter 5 – Heat and health in Romania