2018 was Prague’s hottest year on record

Last year was Prague’s hottest in recorded history, according to data released over the weekend by the Czech Hydrometeorological Institute.

Temperatures at the Klementinum weather station in central Prague reached an average of 12.8° Celsius (55° Fahrenheit) across 2018. That’s the highest average temperature recorded at the station since temperatures were first recorded in 1775.

The Klementinum measuring station is not only the oldest in Prague, but also recognized as the oldest in Central Europe.

The average yearly temperature in Prague since 1775 has been 9.6° C, meaning the average day in 2018 was a full 3.2 degrees warmer than normal.

The 2018 average high tops the previous record of 12.5° C, recorded in both 2014 and 2015.

Since 1900, all of Prague’s top ten hottest averages have been recorded in the last 25 years. At 11.7° C, 1994 is the only pre-2000 year to see average highs among Prague’s top 10.

When were Prague’s coldest years? A low of 7.2° C was recorded in 1838 and 1871, while 1786 1786, 1829, and 1864 saw averages of 7.4° C.

According to preliminary cumulative data from weather stations across the Czech Republic, the average temperature in 2018 was 9.6° C, which represents the highest number since 1961.