Republic Hydrometeorological Service of Serbia

Kneza Viseslava 66
11000 Belgrade
Republic of Serbia

MONTHLY BULLETIN FOR SERBIA

DECEMBER 2018

Belgrade, the 5th of January 2019

Division for Climate Monitoring and Climate Forecast

Department of National Center for Climate Change, Climate Model Development and Disaster
Risk Assessment
web: http://www.hidmet.gov.rs
mail: office@hidmet.gov.rs
December air temperature and precipitation sums within the average. Cold
wave in Negotin. MMS Zrenjanin observed record-breaking snow depth on
December 16

Overview of the synoptic situation*

Frequent episodes of wet and cold air, occasional rain and significant snow cover from the
mid-month across most of the country
At the beginning of the month, zonal circulation was established at the back side of upper air
cyclone with center positioned above Ukraine, and in the ensuing days, it maintained until
December 5 with brief shifts caused by abrupt passage of cold and wet wave, with the transfer
and filling of the cyclone northward. Increased pressure maintained on the ground until
December 3, when warm atmospheric front within cyclone from southern Scandinavia
crossed, and the following day was also cold. Weather was changeable, as of December 3
with rain, on the mountains with snow.
Period from 5 to 8 December was marked by strengthening of the ridge influence from
western Mediterranean, above Serbia north then northwesterly upper air circulation, in the
ground increased pressure field maintained. Weather was changeably cloudy and mostly dry.
On December 8, ridge axis crossed Serbia eastward with simultaneous deepening of the valley
across the Alps and western Balkans on the periphery of upper air cyclone with center in the
North Sea, thus circulation shifts to southwesterly. In the ensuing days, until December 13,
Serbia was positioned at the periphery of the aforementioned cyclone that transferred across
the Baltic Sea toward Black Sea, thus series of cold and wet air. On December 13, new center
of upper air cyclone was formed above Germany which in the period until December 16
influenced circulation above Serbia. On the ground, anticyclone was disrupted by frontal
system on December 8, 9, 10, 14 and 15. In the period from December 8 to 11, weather was
changeably cloudy with rain, with snow on the mountains, and in the period until December
14 it was predominantly sunny, and as of December 14 it was cold and cloudy with snow.
In the period as of December 17 at altitude, opening of the new trough across the northern
Adriatic, Italy and Thyrrennian Sea took place, and at the end of the day closing of the
cyclone circulation in Central Mediterranean developed at all levels, causing southwesterly-
southerly circulation. The following day cyclone transferred across southern Balkans in the
Aegean Sea, with simultaneous strengthening of the ridge influence at altitude from west, and
in the ground anticyclone remained. On December 19, ridge axis transferred eastward and
southwesterly upper air circulation was established at the front side of trough with the axis
across central Europe, Alps and the Apennine. In the following days until December 22, the
aforementioned valley transferred eastward across Serbia, whereas on the ground anticyclone
maintained. Weather was cloudy, cold with occasional snow, on December 21 with snow
freezing when touching the ground.
In the period until December 27, the territory of Serbia was characterized by series of cold
and wet air within the cyclone emanating from the north of the continent. Increased air
pressure on the ground was the most prominent feature of the period apart from December 24
when warm followed by cold atmospheric front transferred across Serbia. Weather was
cloudy and mostly dry, apart from December 24 when it was rainy and snowy on the
mountains.
December 27 was marked by geopotential rise of short duration, followed by establishing of
northwesterly circulation, whereas increased pressure field remained on the ground. Partial
clearing of the skies took place.
Period from December 28 until the end of the month was characterized by new patches of
cold and wet air within the cyclone emanating from the north of the continent, whereas
anticyclone in the ground was disrupted by series of atmospheric fronts. Weather was cloudy,
rainy with snow in the mountains.
*
Odsek za vazduhoplovnu meteorološku prognozu
Air temperature
Mean monthly air temperature

Mean December air temperature ranged from -4,1ºС at Kopaonik to 3.3 ºС in Belgrade
(Figure 1).
Departure of the mean monthly air temperature from the normal1 for the 1981–2010 base
period ranged from -0,7ºC at Kopaonik to 0,9ºC in Loznica (Figure 2).
Mean air temperature, based on the percentile method2, was in the normal category across
entire Serbia (Figure 3).

Figure 1. Spatial distribution of mean monthly Figure 2. Spatial distribution of mean

air temperature (ºC) during December 2018 monthly air temperature anomaly (ºC) during
December 2018

1
Term normal refers to climatological standard normal, that is, the average value of a particular climate
element, calculated for the period from January 1, 1981 to December 31, 2010

2
n- nth percentile of a variable refers to the value of the observed variable below which there is n percent of data
previously arranged in an ascending order
 Figure 3. Spatial distribution of the mean monthly
air temperature using percentile method during
December 2018

Based on the percentile method, mean air temperature in Belgrade was in the categories of
warm and normal most of the month, and in cold category in the middle of the month (Figure
4).
Figure 4. Monthly course of the mean daily air temperature in Belgrade in December 2018

Maximum air temperature

Mean maximum air temperature in December ranged from -1,0ºС at Kopaonik to 6,8ºС in
Valјevo.
Based on the percentile method, mean maximum monthly air temperature was in the normal
category in most of the country, and cold category at Kopaonik.
The highest maximum daily air temperature of 16,7ºС was measured on December 24 in
Loznica.
In December 2018, Negotin observed cold wave 3 that started on December 29 and lasted
until December 3. In December, Serbia didn’t experience any heat waves.
In December, Serbia recorded ice days4. In the lowland, number of ice days ranged from 1 in
Banatski Karlovac, Loznica, Valјevo, Kruševac, Kragujevac and Nis, to 7 days in Novi Sad.
In the mountains, their number ranged from 8 ice days in Sjenica to 17 days at Crni Vrh.
Figure 5 depicts the monthly course of the mean, maximum and minimum daily air
temperature in Belgrade in December.

3
Cold wave, based on the percentile method, is defined as the period during which the minimum air temperature
is in the domain of very cold and extremely cold for five or more consecutive days
4
Ice day is defined as the day with maximum air temperature below 0°С
Figure 5. Monthly course of mean, maximum and minimum daily air temperature
 Minimalna temperatura vazduha

Mean minimum air temperature in December ranged from -7,1ºС at Kopaonik to 0,8ºС in
Belgrade.
Based on the percentile method, mean minimum monthly air temperature was in the normal
category across Serbia.
The lowest minimum daily air temperature of -16,3ºС was measured on December 17 in Novi
Sad.
Frost days5 were recorded across the entire country. In the lowland, number of frost days
ranged from 12 in Belgrade to 25 in Pozega, and on the mountains from 27 at Crni Vrh and
Zlatibor to 30 days at Kopaonik. Sjenica observed 8 days with severe frost6, and Kopaonik
recorded 6 days.

PRECIPITATION
The registered amount of December precipitation ranged from 24,2 mm on Palic to 81,8 mm
in Loznica (Figure 6).
Precipitation totals relative to the normal for the 1981-2010 base period ranged from 55% on
Palic to 160% in Leskovac (Figure 7).
Based on the percentile method, precipitation sums were in the normal category in most of
Serbia, rainy category in Loznica, Smederevska Palanka, Pozega, Leskovac and Vranje
(Figure 8).

5
Cold day is defined as the day with minimum air temperature lower than 0°С
6
Day with severe frost is defined as the day with the minimum air temperature below -10°С

Figure 6. Spatial distribution
precipitation sums (mm)
Figure 7. Spatial distribution of the monthly
of the monthly
precipitation sums in the percentages of normal
for the 1981–2010 base period

Figure 8. Monthly precipitation sums according to the percentile method

Daily precipitation maximum of 30,4 mm was registered on December 15 in Zrenjanin.
Number of days with precipitation in December ranged from 7 days in Negotin to 19 days at
Crni Vrh and Kursumlija. Most of Serbia observed 1 to 4 days with precipitation compared to
the December average.
Figure 9 shows the assessment of air temperature and precipitation for Serbia in December
based on the tercile distribution for the 1981-2010 base period. It can be noted that December
2018 was marked by precipitation sums and air temperature within the average.

Figure 9. Assessment of air temperature and precipitation for December in Serbia with the accompanying terciles
compared to the 1981-2010 base period

In December, snow cover was observed across the entire county. Number of days with snow
cover ranged from 8 in Kragujevac, Veliko Gradiste, Kralјevo, Cuprija, Sombor and Palic to
17 in Zajecar, and in the hilly-mountainous parts from 27 days at Crni Vrh and Zlatibor to 31
days at Kopaonik. In most of the country, number of days with snow cover was 1 to 5 days
above the December average.
Maximum snow depth of 49 cm was measured at Crni Vrh on December 17 and 19. On
December 16, Zrenjanin observed record-breaking snow depth of 47 cm thereby breaking the
previous record of 46cm set on December 10, 2012.
Figures 10, 11 and 12 show daily and cumulative precipitation sums for Belgrade, Zrenjanin
and Kopaonik.
Figure 10.

Figure 11.
 Figure 12.

CLOUD COVER, BRIGHT AND CLOUDY DAYS

The observed cloud cover in Serbia was around the average for December. Mean December
cloud cover ranged from 7/10 in Negotin, Belgrade, Loznica, Sremska Mitrovica and Paliću
to 9/10 in Požega (Figure 13 and 14).

Figure 13. Mean daily cloud cover in Belgrade

 Figure 14. Mean daily cloud cover in Pozega

In December, Pozega didn’t record any bright days, whereas the highest number of bright
days, total of 3 days was registered in Loznica, Krusevac, Cuprija and Dimitrovgrad.
The number of cloudy days in December ranged from 12 days at Palic to 22 days in Pozega in
the lowland, and as for the upland their number ranged from 13 days in Sjenica to 20 days at
Crbi Vrh. The number of cloudy days was 1 to 6 days above the December average in most of
the country.
SUNSHINE DURATION (INSOLATION)
Sunshine duration in December ranged from 33,5 hours in Nis to 63,1 hours in Negotin
(Figure 15).
December insolation ranged from 61% at Crni Vrh to 132% in Kuršumlija relative to the
normal for the 1981-2010 base period (Figure 16).

Figure 15. Insolation, expressed in hours Figure 16. Insolation expressed in the
during december 2018 percentages of normal during December 2018

Note: Climate analysis of the meteorological elements was performed on the basis of the data
obtained from 28 main meteorological stations.