Lomnický Štít, Slovakia, -8.0°C, the Lowest August Temperature since 1980!

In the high Tatras of northern Slovakia, a remarkable cold event has just been documented on Lomnický štít (2634 m), the country’s second-highest peak and one of its most important meteorological stations. On the morning of 24 August 2025, the station recorded a minimum temperature of –8.0 °C. Though still preliminary and unofficial, this value represents the lowest August temperature measured at the site in 45 years, since 25 August 1980.

The reading is all the more striking given its historical context. The August record for Lomnický štít stands at –8.4 °C, measured in 1980, while the second-lowest August value was –8.2 °C, recorded the very next day. This makes the 2025 measurement the third-lowest August temperature ever observed at this iconic high-mountain observatory. Interestingly, the July record is also –8.0 °C, meaning that this August value is now equal to the lowest July temperature ever recorded there.

These numbers are not trivial footnotes but part of a long tradition of climatological observation on Lomnický štít, where records date back many decades. The peak, standing prominently above the Tatras, is uniquely exposed to free-atmosphere conditions, often acting as a sentinel for extreme events in Central Europe. Its location makes it less influenced by local topography than valley stations, and thus its data are often regarded as highly representative for upper-tropospheric climate studies.

The event is especially notable given the ongoing late-summer synoptic conditions. While much of Central Europe has been under relatively stable anticyclonic weather, a pocket of colder air aloft, combined with clear skies and radiative cooling at elevation, allowed for such an exceptional drop in temperature. That the value reached –8.0 °C in August, a time when much of Slovakia is still experiencing warm summer days, underscores the dramatic contrast between valley climates and summit conditions.

From a historical perspective, the measurement adds a new chapter to the climate record of Slovakia. The year 1980 remains the benchmark for late-summer cold extremes at Lomnický štít, but 2025 will now be remembered as the year that came closest to rewriting those statistics. Whether this preliminary value is confirmed in official datasets remains to be seen, yet the significance of approaching the all-time August minimum after nearly half a century cannot be understated.

Lomnický štít has long been a place where science and nature meet. As both a meteorological station and a symbol of Slovakia’s alpine environment, it continues to remind us how the atmosphere at high elevations behaves in ways that often surprise, even in the heat of summer. The –8.0 °C recorded on 24 August 2025 will stand as a marker of the mountain’s enduring role in observing the extremes of Central European climate.

Source: https://x.com/ZdenekNejedly/status/1959530766913708280/photo/3