Government and scientific observations show steady warming across Ukraine. Summer temperatures continue to rise. Winter frosts are becoming weaker. According to the Ukrainian Hydrometeorological Center and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, average summer air temperatures in 1991–2020 increased by roughly 1.5 °C compared to the 1961–1990 climate norm. The past decade has produced multiple temperature records. In Kyiv, 2023 became one of the warmest years, with an annual average of +10.8 °C. Southern and eastern regions now record the highest number of days above +25 °C.
“Over the past two decades, summers in Ukraine have become significantly hotter,” Humanitarian Media Hub reports, citing the research. Cities now experience more days above +30 °C. Average monthly temperatures in June–August have risen by 1–2 °C. In 2023, the Northern Hemisphere experienced the hottest summer in the entire history of instrumental observations, and Ukraine mirrored this trend. In Kyiv, on August 29, 2023, the temperature reached +35.9 °C. REACH maps show that extreme heat days occur most often in the Kherson, Donetsk and Zaporizhzhia regions. Kyiv and central regions now experience more hot days than during 2000–2012.
Climatologists say rising temperatures increase health risks and put greater pressure on power grids. Researchers estimate that the number of days above +25 °C grew by 10–20% across most of Ukraine between 2000 and 2025. ERA5-based reanalysis confirms these changes. Prolonged heat waves are becoming more common. Urban areas are increasingly vulnerable, especially during periods of peak electricity demand.
Winters are also changing. In 2022–2023, the average winter temperature in Kyiv reached –0.4 °C, which is 2.1 °C above the norm, making it one of the warmest winters ever recorded. The 2023–2024 winter was even warmer, ranking third in the historical record. In 2024–2025, the average temperature stood at –0.5 °C, again above typical values. Strong winter frosts are now rare. In Kyiv, minimum temperatures in 2024–2025 fell to –12…–15 °C only for a few days.
Even milder winters bring serious problems. They coincide with intensified attacks on Ukraine’s energy infrastructure. According to ACLED, from September 2023 to February 13, 2024, there were more than 735 strikes on energy facilities. These attacks caused widespread outages of electricity and heating during freezing weather. The Ministry of Health reported over 1,100 emergency cases related to frostbite and hypothermia between December 20 and January 18. These events show that even warmer-than-normal winters remain dangerous for residents of regions where energy systems have been damaged.
Winter weather has returned to the Ukrainian Carpathians
